


Blushing

by befree2



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Blushing, Caleb deals with fire, Caleb is full of surprises, Fluff, Fluff and Feels, Lots of blushing, M/M, Molly protects Caleb, Nott is such a mom, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, Tiefling tails and horns, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Waiting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-11 00:00:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 20,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15302961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/befree2/pseuds/befree2
Summary: In the little moments, between the adventures and battles with the Mighty Nein, an innocuous prank on Jester turns into something more between Caleb and Molly.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story was started before the events of episode 25, so it's not exactly cannon anymore, but it also doesn't have any spoilers for those major events. It's not quite cannon compliant anymore, but I thought I'd share this with you all anyways. Enjoy!

“You know,” Beau glanced around thoughtfully, letting her tankard of ale rest on the tavern table in front of her. “I gotta ask,” she pointed at Jester and Molly. “Are you guys like, not  _ able _ to blush?”

The Mighty Nein all gave her strange looks.

“What-Tieflings?” Fjord was the first to respond, laughing deeply.

“To blush?” a wide grin spread across Molly’s face.

“That’s rather a  _ rude _ question, don’t you think?” Nott scoffed.

“I don’t mean anything  _ by _ it,” Beau held up her hands in a gesture of surrender. “I just..Jester, you’re a little darker so I wouldn’t expect to be able to tell too easy if you were embarrassed, but Molly,” she waved both hands at the Tiefling. “You’re so light, and you  _ still _ never look like you’re blushing!”

“Oh, we can blush,” Molly answered breezily. “I just have no shame,” he grinned.

“Yeah, it probably is harder to tell with me,” Jester giggled. “But we can be embarrassed. My face will get hot sometimes.” She took a large swig of her ale and added, “ _ Sometimes _ is sometimes especially when I drink one of these,” she grinned at the tankard. “I can’t believe you all drink this stuff every night.”

Caleb, surprisingly, piped in over his own ale, “Mollymauk blushes.” Six heads turned to face him, and Caleb froze. “What? He  _ does _ -why are you all looking at me like that?”

Jester giggled, “ _ You _ can certainly blush,” she poked the side of Caleb’s hot cheek with a dark finger.

“You know,” Fjord furrowed his brow in thought, “I don’t think I ever  _ have  _ seen Molly blush.”

“Neither have I,” Yasha told them.

“Not even  _ Yasha  _ can remember Molly blushing,” Jester said excitedly. “And she’s know him for like,  _ forever _ . So what  _ is _ It?”

“Forget I mentioned it,” Caleb tried to hide behind his drink, but Jester wouldn’t let him.

“Oh, but  _ Caleb _ , now you  _ have _ to tell us what makes Molly embarrassed!”

Molly had leaned back in his chair now, one elbow slung over the back casually as he set his ale down. “Oh, please do,” he encouraged, when Caleb shook his head.

“You’re insufferable,” Caleb said flatly. “No.”

“You  _ know _ ,” Jester said slowly, leaning forward again in excitement as she formed an idea, “We could think of the most embarrassing, dirtiest things we can possibly come up with-“

“No-“ Caleb tried to cut her off.

“-And we can just say  _ all  _ the most smutty things that we think of and see if they make Molly blush.”

“That sounds like a  _ great _ idea, Jester,” Beau grinned.

Her face fell a little. “See, this is why I don’t like it when you say nice things,” she squinted across the table. “I don’t know if you think it’s a horrible idea or if you just are such an awkward person that you look like that when you smile. You should really work on that, you know?”

“Well,  _ I _ genuinely think that it’s a great idea,” Molly said, Jester’s arm. “And if everyone at this table wants to tell me filthy things and try to make me blush, I would be  _ happy  _ to be the subject of this experiment.”

“I don’t think I’ll play,” Fjord declined politely, tipping his drink toward Molly.

“Yeah, I don’t like that sort of thing at  _ all _ ,” Nott said uncomfortably. “Plus, you’re all a bunch of  _ weirdos, _ I don’t wanna hear you people talking about  _ dirty _ things,” Nott shuddered a little.

“Eh, could be fun,” Beau grinned.

“Why don’t we go upstairs?” Caleb said quietly, speaking to Nott. “I’ll help you with that mask tie you needed to fix.”

“Aw, c’mon, Caleb,” Jester grabbed him by the arm. “You’ve  _ got  _ to stay and drink with us. You’re the one reading all the smutty books, anyways, so if anyone can make Molly blush, I’ll bet it’s you.” She ended with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

“Oh-I don’t think I’d like to play,  _ thank you _ for the offer,” Caleb nodded to her tightly and downed the rest of his drink. “You coming, Nott?” He asked, standing.

“Oh, you’re no  _ fun _ ,” Jester pouted, and turned to Molly instead. “So, like-do you have any piercings in  _ interesting  _ places? You know, like your  _ dick? _ ”

Nott scrambled away with a distressed groan and wide eyes as she chugged the rest of her ale and bolted, reaching the stairs before Caleb had even left the table.

“What? Was it something I  _ said _ ?” Jester stared Nott.

“Yes, I would say so,” Caleb nodded, hiding his amusement as he followed Nott up the stairs.


	2. Chapter 2

The Mighty Nein were still trying to make Molly blush at breakfast the next day, much to Nott’s displeasure. 

“How flexible are you with your tail, Molly?” Jester asked innocently as she picked bacon off a plate between them. “I mean, could you use it maybe instead of your hands for certain  _ activities _ ?”

Molly didn’t seem ashamed when he flashed a sharp grin and answered, “Of  _ course _ ! It’s the first thing I learned to  _ do _ with a tail after I woke up.”

Fjord started choking on his eggs, and at the far end of the table, Beau shot Molly a grimace. 

Nott made an uncomfortable noise in the back of her throat and tugged at Caleb’s sleeve. 

“Yes?” Caleb asked tightly, glancing down as his own face flamed.

“Could you just tell them all? Say whatever awful dirty thing that makes Molly blush so that we don’t have to listen to this anymore.”

“I don’t feel that that’s a nice thing to do to Mollymauk,” Caleb frowned. “Generally, people don’t like to be embarrassed and if he wanted the group to know, he would have told them by now.”

“You’re too nice,” Nott accused, but huffed and ate the rest of her food quickly.

“C’mon, Jester,” Fjord practically dragged her from the table. “We’ve got to stop this sometime. You can’t just go sayin’ stuff like that in public.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” Jester giggled. “I don’t mind making  _ you _ blush too!”

“Yeah,” Fjord sighed. “Look, let's take a break from it at least. Come shopping with me, alright? I’m taking a trip to see Pumat, so any of y’all want me to look for anything?”

“Oh, I’d  _ love  _ to go with you,” Jester grinned, and started loading her pockets with food from the table. The other members of the Mighty Nein started to split off as well, retreating to their errands or to their rooms. Caleb ate slowly with his head in a book and was one of the last of them to leave the table. When he finished his chapter and looked up, only Nott and Molly remained.

“Caleb,” Nott fidgeted, and lowered her voice. “I’ve got the  _ itch _ .”

Caleb gave her a thoughtful look and nodded. “Okay. How bad?”

“I just...I don’t need a  _ lot _ ,” Nott said slowly. “Maybe I can even just pop outside and...oh, I don’t know, see what catches my fancy?”

“Would you like to scope it out and send me a message when you’ve found your target?” Caleb asked calmly.

“Yes!” Nott looked excited. “I’ll do that!”

“I’ll be ready. I’ll stay here and read until then, okay?” Caleb patted Nott on the forearm. “Make sure you message me, though. I don’t want you doing anything dangerous on your own.”

“I will!” Nott promised, and practically skipped from the table to hunt down her mark.

“That’s very sweet of you,” Molly grinned, leaning across the table.

Caleb raised an eyebrow. “Thank you?” He said uncertainly.

“You know,” Molly started slowly, glancing about. He scooted over a chair to sit at the corner closest to Caleb. “I’d love for you to tell me.”

Caleb blinked, putting his book down to mark the page. “Tell you  _ what _ ?”

Molly leaned closer, “Tell me when you’ve seen me blush.”

“You-don’t  _ know _ ?” Caleb furrowed his brow, “Or you just want to embarrass me by saying it?”

“I’ll admit, I don’t remember a time when you’ve embarrassed me.”

“I remember you blushing twice,” Caleb told him, glancing around the empty bar. “And both times had one thing in common.”

“Yes?” Molly urged.

“Well, it wasn’t so much that anyone  _ said  _ anything in particular,” Caleb squirmed in his seat, and Molly was still waiting expectantly to hear what he had to say. “It was more that-well, do you remember when we were fighting that spiky thing and you got hit from behind?”

“Oh, yeah,” Molly frowned. “That hurt.”

“Yes, but for some reason you wouldn’t let Jester heal you afterwards, and she and Beau pretty much threw you to the ground and held you down so they could heal your back.”

“ _ Oh _ ,” Molly said softly. “I suppose I might have been blushing then, yes.” Caleb nodded. “And the other time?”

Caleb frowned again. “I don’t remember what you were fighting about,” he said. “I actually couldn’t hear the conversation, but Fjord pushed you against a tree while we were traveling once and was threatening you with something,”

Mollymauk laughed a little, a low chuckle from his throat.

“So, I suppose you  _ like _ being manhandled just a little too much, and I can only guess that you must blush when you-ah,  _ really  _ like something.” Caleb himself flushed as he said it, “But also, both times they had thrown you around by your  _ horns _ .”

Molly actually looked a little embarrassed then, as they sat at the table. “You’re an observant man,” he smirked. Caleb was quite red now as well. “Yeah, it’s definitely a turn-on. It’s not the horns themselves,” Molly explained. “They’re just dead tissue, like fingernails or hair. But  _ here _ ,” he traced the skin where the horns met his head, “It’s quite  _ sensitive, _ so perhaps you could imagine when you touch the skin here, or else when you pull the horns and you can feel this skin pull with them -it’s quite electrifying.”

Caleb cleared his throat.

“Am I embarrassing  _ you _ now?” Molly laughed.

“I should go find Nott,” Caleb said evasively.

“Alright,” Molly sighed. “If you ever feel like...making me  _ blush _ , you know what to do,” he winked, and Caleb sputtered out an excuse to leave as he nearly spun out of his chair to follow after Nott, despite not having heard any message.


	3. Chapter 3

Molly hadn’t expected Caleb to  _ do _ anything about his new knowledge of what exactly turned him on. Molly’s offer was mostly to poke fun at the wizard, and he wasn’t exactly the most tactile person to begin with. It was surprising, therefore, when nearly a month later, Caleb grabbed him by a horn and a shoulder to drag him back, away from a promising-looking chest left behind by a group of bandits they’d encountered.

“Ah-“ Molly whipped around to stare wide-eyed at Caleb, who immediately flushed and avoided his eyes.

“Don’t touch it. It is trapped,” Caleb let go and shoved his hands in his pockets. “The markings around the lid, they are arcane symbols meant to protect the treasure inside.”

“Oh,” Molly blinked. “Thank you.”

“Hey, what did you  _ find _ ?” Jester poked her head around the side of the cart, eyes finding the chest, as well as a stack of shining weapons that were heaped in the far corner. “Oh, I bet we could sell that stuff. What’s in the chest?”

“Not sure,” Caleb frowned. “Looks like there might be some sort of enchantment on it though. It might be dangerous.”

Jester, however, seemed to have tuned him out. She looked at Molly instead, frowning. “Molly, are you _blushing?_ ” Molly laughed. “Oh my gods! You _are!_ ” She gasped, wide eyes darting between them. “Is it-“ she stopped to gasp dramatically, “Is it _Caleb_ _specifically_ that makes you blush?” She lowers her voice to a not-so-quiet whisper, “Are you two like _having a secret tryst_ or something? That’s _so_ _romantic_ ,” she clasped her hands together excitedly.

“ _ No _ ,” Caleb was beet red now. “Nothing like  _ that _ !”

“Something like that,” Molly winked, “Let’s keep it a secret for now, though, won’t you, dear?”

Jesters eyes shined excitedly. “I  _ love _ secrets!” She squealed, and made a motion like she was zipping her lips, winking back at the two of them. “Oh! I have to go see what they found on the bodies,” she suddenly lept away, and Molly and Caleb were left standing awkwardly in the cart.

“Sorry,” Caleb muttered. “I didn’t mean to-“

“It’s  _ fine _ ,” Molly tried to play it off smooth, but his face was still tinged red as he chuckled, “Thank you for looking out for me. And, if you  _ want _ to grab them, maybe when we aren’t in a life-or-death-“

“I didn’t  _ mean _ to,” Caleb reiterated, interrupting him. “I just reached for the first thing I saw to get you away from that box...Oh,  _ gods _ , now Jester thinks that we’re...well-oh, for heaven’s sake, she’s going to be insufferable.”

“Right. Well…” Molly cleared his throat, shot him a half-hearted smile, then jumped off the cart to see what the others had found. Caleb stared after him, frowning.


	4. Chapter 4

“Hey, Caleb,” Nott shuffled into the room, closing the door behind her softly.

Caleb looked up from his book. “Nott,” he inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement. “What did you need?”

“Oh, nothing,” she said unconvincingly, twisting her hands in front of her.

“Do you have an...itch?”

“Um-no,” Nott hopped up onto the bed to sit in front of Caleb. “Not exactly. Um-It’s just that, well-”

“Go ahead, Nott,” Caleb smiled gently, setting his book down. “You can tell me anything, you know that.”

“Well, I just noticed that Jester has been _saying_ things a lot lately,” Nott began cautiously.

“ _Oh_ ,” Caleb chuckled a little. “Yes.”

“And-?” Nott waved her arms dramatically. “What’s that all about?”

“Oh, just a bit of a joke, I suppose.”

“Yesterday, she insinuated that you-that you like _men_ ,” Nott’s voice had dropped to a squeak of a whisper. “Isn’t that going a bit... _far_ ? I feel like you’re being awfully calm about constantly being the butt of her teasing. Doesn’t it _bother_ you?”

“Me-?” Caleb frowned, but laughed a little. “Nott, for the record, I _do_ like men as well, so I did not think that it was going too far, but Jester is the one being played a joke on, if you must know.”

“ _What_ ?” Nott squawked. Caleb shushed her, but her volume decreased only by a hair. “You’re _gay_?”

Caleb crossed his arms protectively in front of him. “I do not think that it matters what gender someone is if they are a good person,” he told her firmly. “Not that I consider myself to be a good person, because I am not, but...I also do not think that it matters what _race_ someone is, as long as they are a good person. People are just people.”

Nott opened her mouth, but seemed to catch herself. “Oh,” she said slowly, processing this new information as she looked down at her own green skin. “But-what’s the joke you’re playing on Jester?”

“Oh, I’m not pulling it on her, Molly is. I just happen to be in on it,” Caleb laughed a little, and he let his hands fall into his lap again.

“Right. So…”

“She thinks Molly and I are... _involved_ ,” Caleb supplied helpfully.

“And you’re _okay_ with that?”

He shrugged, “It’s not hurting anyone.”

“Okay...if you’re sure,” Nott said slowly. “And-um-” she twisted her hands in her lap again before she reached out to take Caleb’s hand in both of hers. “I think you _are_ a good person, and-well, if you _did_ want to...be _involved_ with Mollymauk-”

“No-” Caleb shook his head suddenly.

“Well, I think he might be a good person too,” Nott plunged on, a determined look on her face. “And, well-you _are_ blushing over him,” Nott giggled and slipped off the bed toward the door as Caleb protested.

“No, that’s not-I don’t-!”

“Sure you don’t!” Nott slammed the door closed behind her, leaving Caleb sitting on the bed, groaning into his hands. He knew he had to set things straight soon.

 

* * *

 

At dinner that night, Caleb tried to ignore the occasional comment from Jester and eat his food, but he was exasperated enough by the end of the meal that he asked Nott for a swig of her liquor.

“Go ahead,” she grinned excitedly. “It’s never-ending, so you can drink as much as you’d _like_!”

“Oh, good,” Caleb laughed weakly, “It tastes like shite, though.”

“Yeah, the best stuff always does,” Nott patted the flask fondly, but left it sit between them on the table.

“Oh, are we getting sloshed tonight?” Beau grinned.

“I don’t think so?” Caleb answered uncertainly.

“Oh? Well, it’s just...you don’t drink very often, ya know?”

“Let’s get hammered!” Jester cheered.

“I would be amenable to that,” Molly nodded.

“We can all get _really_ drunk and tell each other _all our secrets_ !” Jester wiggled with excitement. “I can’t _wait_ you guys, it’s going to be _so much fun_!”

“Secrets?” Yasha blinked. “Uh-?”

“I don’t know about that,” Fjord chuckled. “But sure, let’s drink tonight. I’ll get a round,” he motioned the barkeep over to order shots, which the woman delivered happily as he flipped her a gold piece.

“To _secrets_!” Jester toasted.

“To...being alive?” Beau tried.

“Cheers!” Fjord said simply, and the rest of them clinked glasses and said ‘cheers’.

“Oh, that burns a bit too,” Caleb chuckled.

“You’re a _lightweight_ ,” Nott teased. “Have ten more and then come complain!”

“I don’t think I could do that many,” Caleb shook his head. “Even if you gave me all night to try.”

“I’d like to see how many you _could_ do,” Nott grinned slyly. “How about a little wager?”

“Oh, no,” Caleb shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Come on, lighten up,” Yasha told him. “We’re just having fun.”

“Exactly,” Molly grinned, and kissed Yasha on top of the head as he rose from the table. “Thank you, love.”

“Where are you going?” Beau asked.

“To get the _cards_ ,” Molly answered, as if it were obvious. “Drinking games,” he grinned.

“Oh, shit- _yeah,_ ” Fjord laughed.


	5. Chapter 5

“That is...twenty-three?” Jester slurred as she tried to count on her fingers. “Twenty _s_ __i_ x _ silver for me,” she grinned lazily up at Fjord. “Do you want to double or nothing?”

“Haven’t you taken enough of his money yet?” Nott squawked.

“I’m not  _ taking _ , I’m  _ winning _ ,” she giggled.

Beau was listing on her chair, leaning against Caleb's shoulder to support herself. Caleb, in turn, was using the table to ground himself. “Oh, I’m very dizzy,” he breathed. “The silver lookschlike-  _ looks like _ ,” he enunciated, correcting the slur, “It’s’all spinning.”

“Wha’d’ya wan’ some water?” Beau asked, squinting at him. “D’ they ‘ave that ‘ere?”

“Oooh, yeash- _ yes _ . Please,” Caleb struggled, but Beau was already halfway to the bar, stumbling in a zig-zag. “Bye, Beau,” he raised a hand to wave at her back.

“That’s adorable,” Yasha smiled fondly, looking about the table. 

“What? That we’re all such lightweights?” Molly asked, grinning.

“Says  _ you _ ,” Nott yelled across the table.

“Shh!” Caleb laughed, doubling over in a swirl of vision. “You’re shupposed to be a  _ kid _ !”

“You’re all definitely lightweights,” Yasha nodded.

“You love us for it,” Molly winked, draping an arm over her shoulder and resting his dizzy head on her chest.

“‘Ere guys,” Beau slammed a tray of small cups down between Molly and Nott. “Everyone take one.”

Nott downed the first cup, nearly spitting it back out. “ _ Water?  _ Why the fuck would you give us this shit?”

“Water,” Caleb grabbed for a cup and sipped it gratefully. “Mmm, good-good water…”

“Not a bad idea,” Fjord thanked Beau and took a cup for both Jester and himself.

“Oh no,” Nott suddenly shrunk behind the edge of the table.

“What’s the matter?” Caleb tried to look down at her but couldn’t quite focus on her.

“People,” she whispered, and the table all turned to face a group of five dwarves who approached their table.

“Hello, fellas,” Fjord greeted. “Can we help you?”

“‘Ella,” the man in front held a hand out across the table to shake Fjord’s respectfully. “We’re ah- wondrin if yea migh’ be willin’ah make eh gold.”

Caleb reached out toward the dwarf’s hand as he pulled it from the handshake, swiping inches from where the man’s arm actually was. “Uh-?”

“Wow, your accent is  _ really  _ hard to understand,” Jester giggled.

“I’s alright,” Fjord furrowed a brow. “Excuse my friends, we’re just havin’ a good time tonigh’.”

“What do you want us to do?” Yasha cut in to ask the dwarf. “Is there something you need us to kill?”

“Wha’?  _ No _ ,” the dwarf glanced uneasily back at his companions. “We’re jest travelin’ and this is a small town, so there int much places ta keep for tha nigh’. The barkeep mentioned tha you lot’ve got two rooms, and we were hopin’ we migh’ convince yeh to bunk up fer an evenin’ so we could stay?”

“You want one of our rooms?” Yasha blinked.

“We’ll pay yeh fer the trouble,” the dwarf offered. “I wouldn’ ask, but it’s gettin’ cold out and-well, we were hoping for two rooms, but I’ll gladly sleep on the floor to stay outta tha’ snow.”

“Oh,  _ here _ ,” Jester handed over her key. “Just take it, we can have a big sleepover anyways. It’ll be  _ fun _ !”

“Oh,” the dwarf looked grateful, if confused. “Tha’ sounds like-uh yea.”

“Now, Jester,” Fjord started.

“Just let them have the room,” Yasha cut him off.

“It’ll be  _ fine _ . We won’t be sober enough to know the difference between a bed and the floor until morning anyways,” Molly laughed. “We can have the barkeep take our things over to the other room.”

“That’s mighty nice o’ you folks,” the dwarf nodded. “Thank yeh kindly,” he passed a gold coin into the first hand that reached out to take it, which happened to be Nott’s. “For yer trouble,” he smiled, and the group shuffled away and up the stairs.

“Y’ gave away our room?” Caleb asked, confused.

“It’s  _ fine _ ,” Yasha told him as Molly sauntered up to talk to the barmaid.

“Where’m I gonna sleep?” His brow furrowed in confusion.

“With  _ Molly _ ,” Jester blurted, giggling.

“Oh, okay,” Caleb seemed content with the answer and finished his water.

“Jester, is there somethin’ you’d like to share with the party?” Fjord gave her a scrutinizing look that may have been a bit intimidating if he hadn’t sloshed his ale as he spoke, dripping foam down his hand and into the table in front of him. 

“ _ Nope _ ,” she giggled, but Fjord was looking sidelong at Caleb now.

“Right,” he smiled easily, finally noticing the ale on his knuckles and wiping them on his shirt.

“Come on, who’s in for this round?” Molly returned and slapped the deck of cards in the middle of the table, sliding them closer to start shuffling.

“Oh, I don’t know if I can look at cards right now,” Caleb shook his head, then stopped abruptly because the movement made him dizzier.

“Have some pork,” Molly shoved a plate towards him with a dazzling smile. “You can help me with my hand.”

“Yes!” Caleb grasped Molly by the shoulder, leaning in sideways. “ _ You _ are a smart man, Mollymauk.”

“Why thank you,” he flashed another smile and began to deal out cards. “Go on, you may keep telling me how wonderful I am.”

“ _ So _ fucking wonderful,” Caleb chuckled.

“And  _ handsome _ ,” Jester added, winking. “Just not  _ quite _ as handsome as  _ Oskar.” _

_ “ _ Well, the tusks are rather hard to compete with,” Molly shrugged. “Alright, ante up!” 

“Oh, I ‘ave an idea,” Beau said slowly, affecting an air of casual confidence that belied her intoxication. “How about we play for the bed?”

“The bed?” Tasha blinked.

“Yeah, winner gets to sleep in the bed, everyone else sleeps on the floor,” Beau smirked. “That way it’s fair.

“I’ll make that wager,” Fjord agreed first.

“Sure-uh, why not?” Molly shrugged. “Sure you don’t want us to deal you in, Caleb?” 

Caleb furrowed his brow for a moment, then shook his head again. “The numbers ‘re moving too much. You play.”

“You can help me,” Molly laughed. “We’ll be a team.”

“That sounds like a plan, my friend.”

“I’ll share the bed with you if I win,” Nott piped up. 

“That’s very kind,” Caleb sent a melting smile in Nott’s direction. 

“Well, we’re playing as a team, no?” Molly scooted a little closer to Caleb. “So I’d be more than willing to share the win as well.”

“That’s  _ very _ kind of you,” Jester winked.

“It is,” Caleb nodded, not seeming to catch the gesture.

Caleb tried to follow the game, but it was much easier to sit back and the sounds of their fun and bickering and accusations of cheating wash over him, eyes closed even as he laughed with them.  It wasn’t until there was a furious uproar from the entire table around him that Caleb jerked up, blinking at the table to see who had won.

“You hear that, Caleb?” Jester grinned suggestively. “You’ve got a bedfellow tonight.”

“Oh, good,” he said weakly.

“I’ll bet he cheated,” she added, grumbling half heartedly. “You know he’s good at fixing cards. Hey, you don’t look so great, Caleb.”

“Maybe, he cheated,” Yasha shrugged, “But I think Caleb might need that bed. He looks a bit...he’s going to be feeling bad enough in the morning…”

“Yeah, I’m not feeling too good,” Caleb frowned.

“Oh, I can help that,” Jester sighed. “Come here,” she pulled Caleb halfway across the table by his wrist and placed a hand on his cheek, muttering a few words. There was a flash of divine energy and Caleb blinked as she let him go. “There, now don’t get too drunk again ‘cause I can only do this one more time tonight.”

Caleb looked up at the all through slowly including eyes. “ _ Oh _ ,” he clasped Jester’s hand gratefully, “ _ You  _ are the  _ best _ . Thank you so much,” he smiled.

“Just don’t go too crazy again.”

“No, I think I’ll have one more ale and go to sleep,” Caleb told her. “I’m a bit tired.”


	6. Chapter 6

Caleb climbed the stairs first, saying his goodnights while Beau and Nott downed shots. He had only just gotten undressed and set aside his clothes when the door opened behind him and Molly slipped in, yawning.

“You’re coming to bed early?”

“I am a bit tired. I was up later than most of you last night,” Molly flashed a grin.

“Ah-yes, that’s right. You went out for some company,” Caleb tossed his pack on the floor and set about spreading a blanket down.

“You can sleep in the bed,” Molly said suddenly, and Caleb looked up to see the him glance uncertainly down at him. “I meant it, I’ll share the mattress.”

“Ah-Thank you, but I did not win the game. In fact, I was too drunk to even _play_ the game. You won it fair and square.”

“I did say I’d share, though, and so am a man of my word,” Molly shrugged. “You're welcome to join me if you’d like. No funny business,” he promised.

“Thank you,” Caleb told him, but lay down on the floor anyways. He drifted off for a while, lulled by the sound of Molly’s soft, even breathing until the door opened and the rest of the Mighty Nein stumbled in, all loud footsteps and giggles and groans. Caleb scooted over to make room for the others, but even after they’d quieted down and began to fall asleep, they kept him awake with tossing and turning and Yasha’s snores. It was very late, or perhaps very early, and Caleb was extremely tired when he felt a hand whack him across the shoulder, startling him. He jumped, but Beau was still fast asleep as she sprawled closer to him.

Frustrated and exhausted, Caleb wrestled his blanket away from Beau and sat up, peering atop the mattress where Molly slept. He sighed, and carefully slid onto the covers next to the Tiefling, using his blanket both to keep warm and cover his ears from Yasha’s snoring. He focused instead on the slow, rhythmic exhales from Molly’s nose and tumbled back into a deep sleep.

 

* * *

 

“Caleb?” A whisper made him furrow his brow. “Ah- _Caleb_!” His eyes shot open and he blinked at an expanse of lavender skin. “Uh-could you-?”

Caleb blinked again, and froze. His left leg was tangled into the blankets and over Molly’s ankle, and his hand was clutching the ridged curve of Molly’s horn, thumb pressing against the flesh where it met his forehead.

Caleb let go and rolled away quickly, remembering all too clearly what Molly had to told him about that particular spot.

“Sorry,” Caleb cleared his throat.

“Not at all,” Molly’s voice was strained as he sat up, swinging his legs around the side of the bed and avoiding his eyes. Caleb glanced over as Molly stood up, back toward the bed as he adjusted his robe over his front and began to pick his way toward the door, jumping over the tangle of limbs of their sleeping friends. Caleb caught a glimpse of Molly’s reddened face as he slipped into the hallway and eased the door shut behind him, leaving Caleb to lay wide-awake in the middle of the room, unmoving until sunrise began to wake the others.

 

* * *

 

Something about Molly’s exit bothered Caleb. “Normal people would have been embarrassed,” Caleb told Frumkin, holding the cat in his lap that evening. “I think normal people would have been _more_ shy than that, actually, but he is not a _normal_ person.” Frumpkin just butted his head up against Caleb’s hand and purred unhelpfully. “I think he was acting rather strange, and I already thought he was quite strange, so _that’s_ saying something…”

Caleb sighed, scratching behind Frumpkin’s ears. “Well, you’re no help. Let’s go find dinner maybe, yeah?”

When he slipped down to the tavern, the rest of the Mighty Nein were already settled at the table downstairs, drinks in front of them.

“Oh good,” Fjord spoke up when he noticed Caleb join them. “We’re all here now. Let’s talk business while we wait for our food.”

“Business?” Beau asked.

“Possibly,” Fjord nodded, and glanced around the tiny tavern to ensure that no one was listening in. “That Gerald guy from the guard, he ran into Jester and I earlier today. He’s got a proposition for us, if you all are interested.”

“What kind of work is it?” Nott asked. “Nothing too dangerous, I hope?”

“Hopefully not,” Fjord shrugged. “Seems like one of his soldiers went missing, and the higher ups are calling it a desertion, but this Gerald thinks it might be something else. He said that this soldier, a fella called Hamish, had a good reason to come back here and doesn’t believe he’d have run.”

“Details, please?” Beau crossed her arms.

“The guy knocked up some girl and it’s a secret, but he wanted to run away with her. That’s why they think he ran away, ‘cause he was already thinking about it, only he didn’t take the girl.”

“So what? He probably wasn’t ready to be a father.”

“The girl he knocked up is Gerald’s wife,” Jester grinned.

“Uh-that’s...complicated,” Yasha said slowly.

“Yeah.”

“That’s even more reason to run,” Nott squawked.

“Not...exactly,” Fjord glanced to Jester.

“They had an arrangement. Gerald said he _knows_ Hamish wouldn’t have run out on them, so something really bad must have happened. He just wants to know if we can figure out if he died or y’know, got taken prisoner or whatever. He’s hoping we can bring him back, or at least bring back something to bury.”

“Right,” Caleb nodded. “But where would we even start to look? How long has he been gone?”

“Almost two weeks now. They sent a search party out after the first week and they found footprints, but they lost the trail. He said that the soldiers from the search party could lead us in the general vicinity of where they lost the scent.”

“Alright,” Beau said slowly.

“I’m in if you guys are,” Yasha shrugged.

“I really think we should help him,” Jester told them. “He seems like a _really_ nice guy and he’s super worried. He’s offering three thousand gold for this, which is like, kind of a lot. I’m pretty sure it’s his life savings.”

“Sure,” Caleb agreed.

“Molly?” Fjord frowned in the Tiefling’s direction. “You’re pretty quiet about this.”

“I’ll do it,” Molly said simply.

“Alright, we can meet him at dawn. Be ready to travel. The weather isn’t kind right now.”

“There’s supposed to be a big snowstorm coming in a few days, guys,” Jester said. “This Gerald is afraid Hamish might _die_ if we don’t find him before the storm hits.”

“And how long do we expect that to be?” Nott asked.

“Two or three days time, if his guess is right,” Fjord said.

“Alright, let’s eat and get an early rest. The soon we start moving, the more likely we are to find this guy alive.”

As their dinner was placed in front of them and the conversations digressed into other topics, Caleb heard Yasha ask Molly, “Are you okay?”

Molly nodded, ducking his head toward her. “Still feeling the hangover, I think. Thank you,” he gave her a stiff smile, and as he righted himself in the chair again, he caught Caleb’s eye and the smile fell completely. Caleb was left pinned by his gaze for a long moment, unsure of what to say.

“Here, have some bacon,” Nott jostled Caleb’s elbow and the moment broke. The noise of dishes and conversations around him flooded his ears and made him pause to collect himself.

“Ah,” Caleb cleared his throat, “Yes-um, that sounds good. Thank you, Nott.”


	7. Chapter 7

They were led into the forest by two soldiers and Gerald himself. They managed to show them an hour’s walk in before they halted at a clearing. There were numerous broken branches and places where the underbrush had been bent at odd angles, but the defining feature of the clearing was that a large tree trunk had fallen through the middle of it. 

“This is the place?” Caleb asked, stepping forward.

“Yeah,” one of the soldiers answered. “Looked like something happened here when we came through the first time, but all the footprints have been covered up by the snow.”

“They were a confusing mess, though,” the other grimaced. “We looked in every direction for twenty yards, and skimmed for print a bit farther than that, but we didn’t find any sign of which way he went after here.”

“And what about the other prints? Anything else leave this area?” Caleb asked, kneeling down next to the tree trunk.

“Some kind of weird marks, like daggers were thrown into the ground and the trees, but those marks didn’t lead anywhere either. And some kind of...bile? Dark goo...not blood, but,” the man struggled for the words to describe it, “Something greenish, real tar-like.”

“Hm...daggers, you said?” Caleb brushed the snow from the tree to unveil a gouge in the trunk, a streak of blackened bark.

“Somethin’ like that. Like...over here,” the soldier stepped up to one of the other trees that still stood on the edge of the clearing. There were a series of small wounds in the bark, as if it had been hit by a small blade or the head of an arrow.

“This one, on the ground,” Caleb frowned, “It was hit by some sort of magical attack. This mark is the work of an arcane caster…” he tore his gaze away to look at the marks in the standing trees instead. “This one is  _ not _ made by magic. Fjord?”

“Not sure,” Fjord sighed, stepping forward to inspect them. “Nothin’ like what I’ve ever seen.”

“Are we sure it’s made by a weapon?” Yasha asked. “Maybe it’s made by a creature. Look,” she hooked two fingers and poked at the marks, “Here, here, here…” she stepped around behind the trunk and brought her thumb out too. “And around back. It looks like...claws.” Yasha made a motion with the three fingers to demonstrate.

“Maybe it can  _ climb _ !” Nott moaned, looking up at the canopy in fear as her hands went for the crossbow.

“Climb…” Caleb breathed, and whipped his head around to inspect the edges of the clearing. He fixated on a tree behind Yasha and walked up to it, tracing the marks upwards. “Yasha, give me a boost?”

“Huh?”

“Could you pick me up?” Caleb asked.

“Um, sure,” she took him by the waist and placed him on her shoulders, legs around her neck like a child.

“Oooh, you’re very tall. This is high up,” Caleb swayed for a moment before Yasha gripped him more firmly by the shins. “Okay,” he breathed, and followed the trail of claw marks further up, straining to see where they led. “Guys, I think we can follow this.”

“They took him into the trees?” Gerald’s face had fallen. “That must mean-“

“Hold on,” Caleb grunted. “There’s broken branches and stuff up ahead. I’m not sure if that means this was a large creature or that he was fighting back. If there weren’t so much snow, perhaps we would have a better idea of how things transpired. Yasha, could you-“

She picked him back up and swung him down to his feet, then swept her hands over his cloak to straighten it.

“Ah-thank you,” he told her quietly, then turned to the others. “We could try to track this creature, no?”

Fjord nodded, and looked to Gerald. “I think we can do that.”

Gerald swallowed hard, giving the group an intense, sweeping gaze. “If...if you don’t find him safely, will you at least slay this monster? Bring me peace of mind?”

“We’d be happy to take care of this creature either way,” Fjord assured him, “But we will do our best to bring you back good news.”

“Very well.”

“Alright, let’s go, guys,” Beau started trudging in the direction that Caleb had pointed. “Nott, you’re small. Can you climb a tree?”

“Sure?” she laughed uncertainly.

The guards bid them good luck as they set off after the trail and the group trekked on through snow drifts as they made their way slowly through the thick forest.

They weren’t sure how far they expected to travel, but at the snail’s pace at which they were going, the Mighty Nein had made little headway by the afternoon.

“Should we stop and eat, guys?” Jester asked.

“I didn’t think that’s a bad idea,” Yasha seconded, moving to shift Nott off of her shoulders.

“Yeah, sure.” Fjord sighed, and they all came to a stop, dropping their packs and clearing off rocks and fallen limbs to sit on. Caleb chose to squeeze into an uncomfortable spot next to Molly, who tensed, but gave him a curious smile.

“Hello,” he acknowledged.

“Hello,” Caleb returned, quieter. “Mollymauk, are you alright?”

“What, me? Oh, I’m  _ fine _ ,” he flashed a more reassuring grin. “Thank you for asking.”

Caleb nodded, hesitating. “I feel like you and I...ah-like you might have been avoiding me lately.”

Molly actually seemed surprised that Caleb was being so blunt. “I’m sorry, I just...just thought that after yesterday morning, you wouldn’t have wanted me to be so... _ me. _ I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

Caleb let out a little chuckle. “I don’t ever want you to not be you. You seem to have a knack for making people slightly uncomfortable with your joking around, but I do not think that you push that too far.”

“I-right,” Molly looked flustered. “Uh…”

“Just...I do not want there to be a misunderstanding between us. We are...friends,no?”

“Of course,” Molly grinned.

“And I think we can remain friends throughout one very awkward morning, no?”

“We can,” Molly nodded firmly. “Absolutely.”

“Good,” Caleb nodded back. “Let’s put this behind us, then. I need to go help Nott before she serves us all raw rabbit meat.”

“Bless you,” Molly laughed, eyeing Nott at the campfire. Caleb chuckled as he made his way over.

 

* * *

 

Molly went back to his usual self; his winking, flirting, frustrating self. It had been weeks since they’d tracked down Gerald’s ‘ _ very dear friend’  _ in the forest to return him safely back to town, and it seemed that everything was back to normal. They were on the road again, days between towns and trying to outrun a thunderstorm that had been chasing them across the plain for the better part of the last two days. Yasha was quiet and contemplative, staring backwards at the encroaching wall of clouds that grew closer as they went, and Molly had given up trying to distract her from it.

They stopped to make camp early as the sky grew dark and the thunder became louder and constant. Caleb studied his spellbook as Molly and Fjord made dinner. The group ate quickly, anticipating rain, and just as they began to gather empty bowls, a curtain of water came pouring across the field. They took refuge under the cart, Nott crawling down on the opposite side from the wind, her cloak wrapped protectively around herself. Caleb sighed and moved to climb in behind her, but he sensed Molly hesitating and gave him a questioning look.

“Ah-just...would you mind if I sleep down here with you two? Jester can sleep at the other end, she doesn’t feel the cold, but I wouldn’t mind being sheltered from the wind a little.”

“Of course, Mollymauk. And,” he added, a little quieter, “I’ll try to keep my hands to myself this time.”

Molly’s face went pink for a moment, caught by surprise, but he composed himself quickly. “Only if you want to,” he winked.

Caleb eyed Molly for a long moment, then sank to the ground to scuttle behind a wheel. He shimmied into place next to Nott as Molly tucked in beside him, and the entire group came to a fitful sleep as Yasha watched over them, sitting contentedly in the rain atop the cart.

 

* * *

 

Thunder woke Caleb. It had been thundering for some time now, of course, but as he came to wake, it seemed that the worst of the storm had passed and the rain had eased up a bit. He blinked in the dark, adjusting to the sight of Molly’s face in front of him. Absently, he moved his hand up to Molly’s face, then caught himself and let it fall between them with a sigh. He twisted around to check on Nott and the others, then let himself drift off once more to the sound of rain and snoring and the warm puffs of Molly’s breath on his cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! So, up until this point was all posted at once. From here on out, I will be editing as I post. This is only about half of what I have written so far and probably about a third of the story total. I hope you have enjoyed the story so far and that you will stick with me as I update. If you find grammatical errors, please let me know. Thank you!


	8. Chapter 8

The rain didn’t stop. On their second night under the wagon, Caleb took the first watch and hunkered down atop the wagon with his hood up, snacking on one of the last apples he’d brought. It was a boring job without a book to keep him occupied, and Caleb let his mind wander from arcane solutions which might allow him to protect his pages from the rain to thoughts of a warm, dry bed awaiting them in a few more nights, to his companions; specifically Mollymauk, despite his best efforts to  _ not _ think about him.

Caleb sighed, remembering the long glance they’d shared across the breakfast table on  _ that _ morning, and the few times that Caleb had seen pink tinge the Tiefling’s skin, despite the fact that Molly himself was usually unabashed about much more crude jokes.

“Hey,” Molly’s voice cut into Caleb’s thoughts and he stiffened, whipping his head around. Molly stood in the rain, cloak wrapped protectively around himself as he stared up at Caleb. “You alright?”

“Yeah,” Caleb nodded. “Just a bit...well, my mind tends to wander, you know? Perhaps I should not take watch alone.”

Molly smiled gently and started to climb into the wagon, “Well, why don’t I sit with you, then?”

“I didn’t-I mean-you don’t have to-“ Caleb started, but Molly waved a dismissive hand as he plopped down beside Caleb on the soggy wood.

“I’d be more than happy to stay up with you,” Molly told him.

“Thank you,” Caleb deflated a little and took the last bite of his apple, throwing the core out into the field.

Molly hummed sleepily, and they fell into companionable silence for a while.

“I wish we could see the stars,” Caleb sighed. Molly shifted, nodding, but didn’t have any appropriate words to reply. “You know, some people say that the stars are made of fire; that they are massive bonfires of some unknowable creatures who live beyond our world...but fire, all the same.”

“But...you  _ like _ the stars, right?”

Caleb nodded, and finally looked over at the Tiefling. “I do. Fire makes me a bit uncomfortable when it is too close or too uncontrollable, but stars…they are comforting.”

Molly swallowed hard, looking back out at the grass. “I find a fire to be comforting sometimes. A campfire, or…I wonder if I would have memories of sitting in front of a hearth, if I had them? Maybe while my mother cooked, if I had one? I don’t know,” Molly sighed. “Sometimes, when I smell wood burning, I almost think I can remember something from before. I don’t really try too hard, because I don’t really  _ want  _ to remember anything from then, but I feel like it might be good memory.”

“Huh,” Caleb stared at his face in rapt attention. “Is there...anything else? That makes you remember?”

Molly shook his head, then stopped abruptly. “Well-“ he glanced up to meet Caleb’s gaze, but quickly ducked his head again, laughing softly. “It’s stupid,” Molly insisted.

“I’m sure it’s not.”

Molly sighed, “I don’t know...maybe it’s in my head, but I feel like touch comes naturally to me. Like maybe I had a really affectionate partner, or maybe I was a prostitute,” he chuckled, “ Or- _ fuck _ , I don’t know. It just feels...right, you know? Not even in an  _ intimate _ way, necessarily, but just holding someone’s hand, even. A hug, perhaps. It always feels sort of right, and I don’t know if that’s because of my past or because it’s sort of...I don’t know,  _ grounding _ in some way…”

“Huh,” Caleb hesitates, but takes a long, slow intake of breath and his hand lands atop Molly’s between them, squeezing tightly. 

Molly doesn’t breathe for a moment, afraid that he might break the moment, but when he does, Caleb just stares out into the dark grass as if this were an everyday thing, their hands still clasped between them, sodden with rainwater.

 

* * *

 

Caleb took the brunt of the ambush. It was nearly dusk, their last night before they would come into town, and none of the group noticed the wolves until they’d sunk their teeth into Caleb’s leg. He was pulled down from the horse and immediately attacked from the other side, firing off a firebolt just as the rest of the party realized what was going on. Caleb realized dully that the other wolf had latched into his shoulder, having missed his throat. Caleb fired off another bolt frantically, knocking one of the wolves off him and catching a glimpse of Molly, leaping from his place at the reigns and in his direction as he drew his swords across his chest.

_ “C’mere, you filthy mutt,”  _ Molly hissed in infernal, and suddenly Caleb was free from the wolves’ jaws and claws, splattered with blood from both himself and the attacking creatures, but alive and ready to fight. Molly deflected the creatures, moving around as the two wolves tried to circle around and making himself a physical barrier between them and Caleb, who sent bolts of fire from the ground, aiming between Molly’s knees.

They made quick work of the pack, despite the rocky beginning, and after a quick sweep of the field, Molly turned to sink to the ground next to Caleb. “Oh, he got you  _ good _ ,” Molly tutted, examining the wound.

“Well, not good enough, I’m still here,” Caleb chuckled dryly, then winced because that movement had shifted his arm in a way that alerted him to the possibility of the bone not being in its socket.

“Jester,” Molly called out, not glancing away from Caleb, “Do y’ave a healing spell?”

“Sure!” Jester’s lollipop disappeared as she hurried over and relieved Caleb of most of the injuries. His leg and shoulder were still a bit bruised, but he was able to take Molly’s outstretched hand and scramble to his feet without much pain.

“Thank you,” he said.

“No problem,” Jester grinned, and flounced away.

“And thank  _ you _ ,” Caleb turned his eyes upon Molly.

“It’s nothing.”

“It is not nothing,” Caleb insisted. “You stepped in front of that beast and saved my life tonight. Thank you,” he repeated, and Molly ducked his head. “Let’s go see what damage these things have done,” he sighed, and tugged Molly along by the elbow toward the others and their horses, trying not to look straight at the still smoldering corpses of the wolves around them.

 

* * *

 

Caleb dreamed of fire that night. He woke to the acrid smell of burning hair and flesh, but when he sat up, gasping, the air he sucked in was clear and cold.

“Are you alright?” Molly asked, keeping his voice low. Caleb nodded even as he tried to calm his breathing. “Caleb?” Molly prodded gently. “Why don’t you come over and sit?” Molly rubbed a soothing circle on Caleb’s shoulder.

“Ah-no, that is not…” Caleb stopped breathing at all for a few long moments and instead stared into the dying coals of the campfire.

“Caleb?” Molly squeezed his shoulder again. “I’ll make you some tea,” he said softly.

“Tea…” Caleb managed, and finally inhaled a long, shaky breath of fresh air.

“Good. Come on,” Molly left little room for argument, so Caleb stood, dazed, and followed him over to the edge of camp.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Molly asked, pushing a cup into his hands. Caleb took it, wondering how Molly had made tea so quickly. “You’ve been sort of...out of it for a few minutes,” Molly explained.

“Ah-thank you,” Caleb took a sip of the sweet, earthy concoction that Molly had made him. “You are much kinder to me than I deserve.”

Molly frowned, “You are always saying that you don’t deserve things and I wish that you’d stop and accept that we actually  _ like  _ having you around.”

“You do not mind me because you do not know,” Caleb said absently, still staring out somewhere past Molly’s shoulder.

“Know  _ what? _ ” Molly asked.

“I have done horrible things, Mollymauk.” Caleb told him, his voice barely a whisper.

“What, in the  _ past _ ?” Molly scowled, “So, you wish you hadn’t done them, right?”

Caleb gaped for a moment, fishlike as he opened and closed his mouth wordlessly. “I would give  _ anything _ to change the things that I have done…”

“Then you deserve nice things,” Molly said decisively. “You deserve friends who treat you better than you treat yourself.”

Caleb was shaking his head vehemently. “That is not-I can’t… _ not _ after what I’ve done,” he insisted. 

“Don’t you believe in redemption?” Molly asked quietly.

There was a long moment before Caleb finally met his eyes and whispered, “I killed my parents.”

“I’m sorry,” Molly said quietly, then hesitated. "Was there...an accident?”

“ _ No _ ,” Caleb shook his head.

Molly waited for more, but when it didn’t come, he placed a reassuring hand on Caleb’s knee. “I believe that there is much more to your story than just that.”

Caleb pushed the hand off. “Perhaps so, but it does not change the most important fact, which is that I am a _murderer_ .”

Molly settled the touch onto Caleb’s shoulder instead, and Caleb deflated under it. After a few long moments of silence, Caleb began to speak. He told Molly everything, and Molly listened without judgement or remark.  He told him about Trent and the false memories and the asylum, even about Astrid.

“Do you still love her?” Molly asked quietly, speaking for the first time since Caleb had started.

Caleb’s shoulders sagged beneath Molly’s touch, “I will always have a place in my heart for her...but it has been many years and I have been very lonely. Perhaps I had little else to think about while I was in the asylum, but...now that I am I the real world again, among other people...I don’t really know…”

Molly squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. “I would still have stepped between you and that wolf.” Molly said offhandedly, “If you’d told me this yesterday. Perhaps I could have fought a little harder, even, so that you did not have to resort to using fire...”

“Mollymauk, I-“ Caleb’s voice broke.

“Shush,” he whispered, and pulled Caleb in sideways, shoulders squeezed tightly as silence settled between them and they watched the sunrise beyond the far hills.


	9. Chapter 9

Molly seemed to take great care to show Caleb that knowing his past did not change his opinion of the wizard. If anything, he was more affectionate. Molly went out of his way to bring him bread and cheese, to brush his hair out of his face and touch his elbow when they spoke, and it was nearly too much for Caleb to handle.

“Why are you doing this?” Caleb finally asked, incredulously, when Molly brought a cup of tea to where he sat on the edge of camp. It had been a week since Caleb had told him about his past.

Molly blinked, “What?”

“Why?” Caleb repeated. “Why must you treat me like-like some sort of…of-”

Molly frowned, “Caleb, do I...if I make you uncomfortable, I can stop, but-I...I thought…”

“Thought what?” Caleb spat.

Molly swallowed hard, but he did not answer.

“I do not deserve your kindness,” Caleb told him, keeping his voice carefully even.

Molly’s eyes hardened, his entire demeanor changing in an instant. He stood straighter and scowled, “I’ll be the judge of that.” He went back to sit near the fire with the others and left Caleb alone with his swirling conscience. 

When they hunkered down to sleep, Molly made sure to lay his bedroll next to Caleb’s and brushed the back of Caleb’s hand with a soft, “Goodnight,” when no one else seemed to be paying attention.

Caleb did not reply, but he did not roll away, so Molly took it as a positive response.

 

* * *

 

Nott was the first to notice. She was, of course, the closest to Caleb out of all of them, and as much as she dreaded the possibility of confrontation. She caught Molly smiling sloppily at Caleb over breakfast one morning, and she sees Caleb notice too. Nott expected to see Caleb duck his head a blush which he did, but she hadn’t expected to see him fight back a smile. She blinked in confusion, then stared for a moment before she went back to her breakfast, watching carefully for an opportunity to pull Caleb aside.

Eventually, Caleb set down his fork and pushed his plate away, turning to Nott with a furrowed brow. “Are you alright, Nott?”

“Yeah! Of course! Fine! Why would you think I’m not? I’m Nott. But I’m fine. Are  _ you okay _ ?”

Caleb sighed. “Why don’t we go somewhere?” Caleb suggested. “Bring a meat pie with you,” he added, before she could protest. 

Nott glanced conspicuously around the table and filled her pockets with bacon, took a swig from her flask and grabbed one last pie from the table as she stood up to follow Caleb out of the tavern.

They walked to a side street where it was quiet enough to have a conversation and Caleb shoved his hands in his pockets. “So, is there something you wanted to talk about?” he asked carefully.

Nott’s eyes narrowed at him. “I think  _ you  _ have something to tell _ m _ e.”

“There isn’t anything to tell,” Caleb murmured.

“No? What’s with the eye-fucking?”

“Nott! How do you even know the words ‘eye fucking’?” He glanced around at the odd looks they were getting from the few other people on the street.

“Off topic!” She squawked. “We’re talking about you and Molly now!”

Caleb took Nott by the arm and steered her to an alley to get away from the prying eyes they had garnered. “There is nothing to tell about Molly and I,” he reiterated, but Nott just shot him a dubious glare. “He has been flirting,” Caleb blurted. “He flirts with everyone, so what?”

“Oh, Caleb,” Nott shook her head slowly. “You’ve been flirting  _ back _ , haven’t you?”

“No! I absolutely have  _ not _ -“ but Caleb’s protests were ignored by Nott.

“Has this been happening since you played that prank on Jester?”

“Ah-hmm,” Caleb frowned. “Sort of. He sort of has been flirting with us all since we met him, though.”

“But he flirts with you  _ more _ .”

“Perhaps,” Caleb shrugged. “I have not asked him how much he flirts with the others.”

“Stop being so calm about this! Do you want me to spy on him? I could see if his intentions-“

“No,” Caleb cut her off firmly. “Don’t-ah-please don’t do anything like that,” he pleaded. “Didn’t you tell me, not so long ago, that you thought Molly might be a good guy?”

“ _ Might, _ ” Nott insisted.

“Let’s just leave it at that, please,” Caleb begged. 

Nott pursed her lips but relented. “Be careful with him,” she warned. “Even good people hurt people. Maybe they don’t mean to, but they do.”

Caleb sighed in resignation. “Thank you, Nott. I will be careful,” he told her wearily, and she gave him a grim half-smile as they circled back toward the inn.


	10. Chapter 10

They took a job that lead them back to Zadash. Inevitably, they wound up at the Leaky Tap, waiting until the end of the week when the Gentleman was supposed to give them more details about their next job. In the days between, the Mighty Nein had a good bit of free time. Their first stop was to the bakery, where Jester nearly bought them out of cupcakes, and to the Invulnerable Vagrant, where Molly picked up a piece of jewelry that he’d commissioned before their last departure. From there, they started drifting off to different parts of the city. Beau headed in the direction of the library, Yasha toward the gates, Nott and Fjord to the market, and Jester announced that she was going to stop into the Tri-Spires. Caleb and Molly were left standing outside of Pumat’s shop watching their friends part ways.

“Well, would you like to see what Chastity’s Nook has to offer?” Molly asked lightly.

“Ah-you know what, sure,” Caleb shrugged, giving him a small smile. “Perhaps they’ll have something good. And if not, maybe we can buy some smut anyways.”

Molly chuckled as they fell into step with each other. “You know,” he mulled, “We should do something fun today.”

“Like what?” Caleb asked.

“I was considering a bath first, then maybe do a bit of shopping before dinner, and then maybe I can grab a bottle of good liquor and find a nice corner to sit and read cards for a bit.”

“You have a very interesting idea of a fun day,” Caleb remarked, but Molly just shrugged. “Do you enjoy telling fortunes?”

“Oh, I  _ love _ it,” Molly grinned.

“You do love bullshit,” Caleb smirked.

“Guilty,” he laughed.

“So you admit it?” Caleb asked slyly. “That it’s all made up?”

“Why? Are you interested in having a reading?” Molly asked.

“I do not think that it will be necessary,” Caleb declined.

“Well, maybe later if you change your mind.”

They made their way to the Tri-Spires and into the bookshop, where Molly followed Caleb through to the bookshelves. “Oh, look,” Molly pointed to a sign, “ _‘A Marquesian Summer’_ ,” he read. “That’s new.”

Caleb shrugged, “Not what I’m looking for, really. I’m going to see if I can find the owner,” he said, scanning the room. After a few minutes, he caught the woman coming out of the back with a book wrapped up in paper, which she handed to a customer, smiling. Caleb sidled up to her and caught her before she disappeared again, “Iva,” he smiled widely, giving her a charming nod of the head. “Hello again. Do you remember-?”

“Oh, yes,” she nodded, “I remember  _ you _ .”

“Well,” Caleb touched her on the elbow to steer her toward the back room, away from the crowd. “I really enjoyed that last book you recommended. I know that I declined to buy it, but my friend bought it from you and gifted it to me anyways, so I was hoping that you might be able to suggest another for me,” he asked, raising an eyebrow as they ducked into the back. Molly followed them, earning a sharp glance from Iva. “Oh, it’s alright,” Caleb moved his hand from her elbow to Molly’s shoulder, shooting her a smooth smile, “He’s with me.”

Iva’s eyebrows rose and she smiled as if they were sharing a secret, “ _ Well _ ,” she lowered her voice, “I do have something else that might interest you,” she glanced at Molly, then back at Caleb. “It’s a little…dated,” she told him apologetically, “It’s used, but still in good condition, and it’s quite good. And  _ very _ ... detailed. I don’t have many readers interested in the... _ particular _ sort of characters in this one, especially considering how old it is, but…” she glanced between them once more and turned around, shuffling through an unmarked box. “Here,” she tipped the book into Caleb’s hands. “It’s historical fiction,” she told him. “But it isn’t very popular because, well,” she cut herself off with a little laugh as Caleb started to thumb through the book. 

“Oh, this is- _ oh _ ,” Caleb’s face flushed. “I see what you-ah…” he cleared his throat and snapped the book shut. “Um-how much?”

“Nine gold.”

“ _ Nine _ ?”

“It’s fine,” Molly interrupted. “We  _ did  _ just get paid, after all.”

“Well-yes, that’s fine,” Caleb handed over the gold and tucked the book into his robes. “Thank you for your wonderful recommendations again, Iva.”

“Stop back soon,” she smiled, and led them back into the main store.

“Alright,” Caleb made a beeline for the door, but Molly hung back. “I'm sorry, did you want something too?”

“Oh, just want to pick up a few things,” he shrugged. He picked up a bottle of lavender scented oil and a copy of _‘A Marquesian Summer’_ before they left.

“For Jester,” Molly said, patting the book as they walked in the direction of the bathhouse.

“And the oil?”

“That’s for me,” Molly laughed.

“Right," Caleb cleared his throat and looked away.

“So, what’s the book about, anyways?”

“Ah-apparently it is about a man who falls in love with this 'devilish creature' from Xhorhas.”

“Oh-kay?” Molly furrowed his brow.

“It’s quite an old book, and so I hope that it might offer some insight into what things were like...before the Empire.”

“Hm, that sounds a lot less interesting than you two made it out to be.”

“I guess you have to be a book person to appreciate it,” Caleb shrugged, not meeting his eye.

“Well, I don’t need to be a book person to appreciate a hot bath,” Molly said approach the bathhouse. “Will you join me?”

“Ah-sure,” Caleb nodded, looking only a little uncertain.

“Perfect,” Molly grinned, stepping inside and up to the man who greeted them at the counter. “Hello, a private bath for two, please. And could you have our clothes cleaned while we bathe?” 

Molly set money on the counter before he was even quoted a price and the man replied simply,  “Of course, sirs. Right this way."

They were led to a private room where Molly stripped unabashedly while Caleb shyly removed one piece of clothing at a time, fighting with the garments and nearly falling over as he wrestled his socks off, much to Molly’s amusement. Caleb threw the clothes over a screen, where the woman on the other side promptly retrieved them to have them cleaned.

“Do not look so smug,” Caleb huffed.

Molly just laughed, “Come on in, the water’s perfect.”

Caleb waited until Molly was fully submerged before he went to the water, his body turned away from the Tiefling. As soon as he had submerged himself, however, Caleb turned around and realized that Molly’s eyes were closed, his head turned to the side to give Caleb a modicum of privacy.

“I’m decent now,” Caleb told him, and cleared his throat. He hadn’t expected Molly to take his reservations about nudity into consideration since Molly himself seemed to have no such shame. 

Molly’s eyes opened and he nodded, giving Caleb a gentle smile. “Oh, man,” he sighed. “I missed this. Hot baths are hard to find on the road,” he chuckled. 

“Perhaps once I perfect my next spell, I might be able to make baths a regular thing.”

“You have a spell for baths?” Molly arched a brow. “Not that I’m complaining,” he added quickly.

“Ah-well, it’s actually to give us a safe place to sleep. I’m still studying it. I don’t want to be unprepared and have it spit us all out into the woods from our nice, comfy beds just because I wasn’t ready to cast it properly. It sort of makes a house,” Caleb tried to explain. “And if I want that house to have hot baths, it will have hot baths.”

“That sounds amazing,” Molly sighed, letting his head fall back onto the lip of the tub, looking completely relaxed. “Oh, it would be a treat to have this every night. Especially after being in the damned  _ cart _ . So bumpy,” Molly groaned.

“It is not the most comfortable way to travel,” Caleb admitted. “But it is better than walking.”

“Quite right,” Molly hummed in agreement and they lapsed into companionable silence. 

Caleb had expected to be a nervous wreck, sitting naked opposite this man with whom he had been- _ flirting? Had he been flirting with Molly? _ \- whom he knew to be very casual with touch and to often invade others’ personal space. Caleb found that he was not anxious at all, however. He slowly allowed his shoulder to relax as the hot water soothed his muscles and his thoughts drifted into nothing.


	11. Chapter 11

A knock at the door startled them both, but it was just a worker coming in to dump hot stones into the tub. Caleb moved away from the side where he’d gotten in, coming around to sit beside Molly. The worker finished unloading the stones quickly, sending a wave of steam over the surface of the water, and leaving them sitting awkwardly close together. It wasn’t as if they were close enough to brush knees, but they were still quite close together for two people who had the entire tub to themselves.

Molly sighed, “I should wash my hair,” he said, turning in his seat to grab a pitcher.

Caleb hesitated, “Would you like me to-?”

Molly turned back, watching his face curiously. “To-?”

“Would you like me to wash your hair?” Caleb flushed deeply as he spoke, his voice low but clear.

Molly looked pleasantly surprised, taken aback for just a moment. “Uh-well, if  _ you’re _ offering, I certainly won’t say no.”

Caleb looked like he was going to say something, then closed his mouth and swallowed. “Okay,” he said instead, “Here,” Caleb just barely touched his hands to Molly’s shoulders to guide him to turn away and he scooted an inch closer. “Lay your head back,” Caleb murmured, plucking the pitcher from Molly’s hand.

Caleb worked slowly, careful not to pour water over Molly’s face, and he set about meticulously lathering soap through Molly’s hair, starting at the ends. He worked his way up toward Molly’s scalp, strategically avoiding his horns and the delicate skin where they met his head until they were the only place left unwashed.

Caleb hesitated, glancing down at Molly’s closed eyes as he lounged in the water. His face was peaceful, tinged dark by either embarrassment at their closeness or the heat of the water, Caleb wasn’t certain. “Do you want me to keep going?” Caleb asked, his voice low and as calm as he could manage at the moment.

Molly blinked, then focused up on Caleb’s face. “Yes, please,” he whispered.

Caleb swallowed and nodded once before he resumed carding his fingers through Molly’s hair, massaging his scalp this time and making Molly groan. Caleb kept going, relishing the reaction, then moved his hand up to swipe over the base of Molly’s horns. 

Molly’s eyes shot open and an unintelligible noise escaped his throat.

Caleb did it again, just the gentlest of touches against that sensitive skin and Molly’s breath hitched, his eyes losing focus.

“Do you want me to stop?” Caleb asked gently.

Molly shut his eyes again and his head shook from side to side, wordlessly. Caleb began to trace circles around the horns, still pulling away occasionally to run his fingers through Molly’s hair and eventually washing the horns themselves, then coming back to the delicate skin around them. He only stopped when Molly’s tail wrapped around his arm and Molly turned toward him, breathing heavily. “Caleb,” his voice broke. “Ah-I-“ Molly’s pupils were blown wide and his skin was flushed dark red from his sharp cheekbones down his neck and chest as far as Caleb could see. “I want-“ he reached out a hand to touch Caleb’s face, but as his fingertips reached the scruff there, they both jumped as someone knocked on the door once again.

“Your clothes are ready,” a voice called from the other side.

It was Caleb who got himself together enough to answer, sitting back against the edge of the pool at a respectable distance from Molly. “Come in,” he told the woman, who slipped inside, seemingly oblivious to the tension in the room, and set two piles of neatly folded clothes on the benches near the door. “Thank you,” Caleb told her curtly.

She bowed slightly. “You’re welcome. You have about five minutes left,” she informed them.

“Ah-thank you,” Caleb sighed deeply, and the woman inclined her head again as she shut the door behind her. “Mollymauk?” Caleb said uncertainly.

“Yes,” he inhaled shakily.

“Perhaps...we should finish up and get dressed?”

Molly swallowed hard and nodded. “Of course. I’ll be out in a minute,” he promised.

Caleb turned away to scrub himself off quickly and run soap through his beard and hair before he hauled himself up out of the water. He had dried and dressed and was nearly finished combing through his hair before Molly managed to make it out and Caleb kept his head turned away until Molly was wrapped up in a towel.

“I’ll meet you outside,” Caleb told him, meeting his eyes for the first time since they had been interrupted.

Molly nodded. “Thank you,” he told Caleb. His eyes were still dark, shoulders tense, but he was looking much more together than he had been five minutes previously.

Caleb nodded back and picked up the rest of his belongings before he slipped out the door. Molly finally emerged a few minutes later, looking refreshed and relaxed and much more like his usual confident self. “Want to skip the shopping and go back for some dinner?” Molly suggested.

“Sure,” Caleb smiled softly.

 

* * *

 

By the time they made it back to the tavern, the rest of the Nein were starting to filter back in as well. Only Nott was seated at the table in the corner of the tavern when they came in, but Fjord came down from the room shortly after and Jester was only minutes behind, toting a large package of sweets with her. “Hey, everybody,” she grinned. “I got us some food to hold us over until dinner.”

“The innkeeper said they’re making beef roast and potatoes,” Nott piped up. “I think I’ll wait for meat.”

“Well, I could go for a tart while we wait,” Molly chuckled. “Thank you, Jester.”

“No problem!” She bounced into a chair and started pulling out her baker haul. “So what did you all do today?” 

“Fjord and I did some shopping,” Nott smiled. 

“That’s right. And Nott here behaved very well today. I’m quite impressed.”

“Oh, yes.” Nott gave a toothy smile that made Caleb certain that she’d stolen something while Fjord wasn’t looking. “It was really fun!”

“What about you, Molly?”

“Oh, I got something for you,” he rummaged into his bag and pulled out the copy of ‘A Marquesian Summer’ and slid it across the table for her to look at. “Thought we could share a read,” he grinned.

“Looks pretty good,” she said, glancing over the cover art. “Not as good as ‘Tusk Love’, I don’t think, but I guess it looks okay.”

“Still reading that?”

“Well, I’ve only read it a few times now,” she shrugged. “Did you go to the book store too, Caleb?”

“I did,” he nodded. “My purchase was a bit more boring, I’m afraid. Historical fiction,” he shrugged.

“Oh, yeah, that’s not as fun to read,” Jester pouted. “I like to smut better. Let me know if you find any  _ good  _ books,” she giggled.

Caleb smiled and promised to find her something with a steamy scene or two.

They drank as they waited for dinner and as the rest of the Nein came clambering back for the night, save Yasha, who had seemingly disappeared.

“She’ll come back,” Molly assured them. “She always does.”

At the end of the night when they were all slightly tipsy and had filled up on beef roast and potatoes, Caleb realized that Molly hadn’t mentioned their trip to the bathhouse to any of the others. He smiled inwardly as he ascended to his room, feeling full and tipsy and a little fuzzy.


	12. Chapter 12

The Gentleman’s work took them back out on the road. After a few days of travel, as they stopped to make camp, Caleb surprised them all with a new spell that he had perfected while he'd been holed up int he back of the cart.

“What is it?” Beau stared at the odd dome of translucent energy that had formed around them.

“Well, the books refer to it as a hut, although it is hardly a structure,” Caleb rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “You all can move through it quite easily, since you were within the hut when it was cast, although I must remain inside until we wish for the spell to end. You may come and go as you please, but no other creatures or spells can pass through the wall.”

“It’s warm,” Yasha remarked.

“And dry,” Molly smiled gratefully. It had been raining for their entire journey so far.

“Cool,” Beau nodded in approval.

“Caleb can do so many amazing spells,” Nott bragged.

“Yes he can,” Molly breathed, just loud enough for Caleb to hear.

“We know,” Beau rolled her eyes at Nott. “Thanks, Caleb,” she shot him a grin.

Fjord nodded in agreement, “Dry ground is much appreciated.”

“You’re welcome,” Caleb ducked his head as the group was focused on him. “Let’s get some food, yes?”

“Oh, have a cupcake,” Jester grinned. 

“Ah-no thank you, Jester.”

Molly chuckled and went outside to get Caleb a bowl of stew.

“Thank you,” Caleb told him quietly, shooting him a smile.

“No problem,” Molly waved, and used Caleb’s shoulder to steady himself as he settled down next to him with his own bowl. The rest of the party followed suit around them, and as they did, Caleb noticed Nott glance between himself and Molly, then look away quickly and take a long swig of her flask when she realized she’d been caught.

Caleb frowned, self-consciously removed his own hand from where it had landed on Molly knee, then glanced back over at the Tiefling, who was animatedly telling a story from his circus days.

He made a point to lay his bedroll close to Molly’s that night, well aware that Nott was watching him.

 

* * *

 

“What are you reading?” Molly sat down next to where Caleb lay on his stomach in the back of the cart, a book spread out in front of him. 

“Ah-it is that book which was recommended to me.”

“‘A Devilish Delight’,” Molly smirked as he read the title. “Sounds saucy.”

Caleb flushed. “It is...a bit more descriptive than my usual fare.”

“Oh?”

“But there is some history to be gleaned about the Emprie.”

“But mostly smut?”

Caleb sighed. “Yes, it’s mostly smut,” he admitted.

“Ooh, about a human and a red Tiefling? That’s  _ very _ saucy,” Molly arched a brow. “I don’t find the red tones particularly attractive, myself, though.”

“Yes, I do not care for them either,” Caleb shrugged.

“I think Caleb likes the  _ lighter _ tones,” Jester interjected, twisting from her seat at the reigns to grin and wink at them.

Caleb coughed. “Ah-thank you, Jester, for pointing out the obvious.”

“You’re welcome!” She said brightly, turning back to the road. 

Molly seemed to to have been rendered speechless for a few moments as he processed Caleb’s words. “Ah-um-would you read to me?” Molly asked finally, settling back against the side of the cart.

“No-“ Caleb shook his head vehemently. “Absolutely not.”

“Oh-“ Mollymauk sunk a little. 

“I am sorry, I did not mean-it is just...a little too… _ saucy _ to be read aloud in public,” Caleb let his hand rest on Molly’s ankle reassuringly.

“Oh?” Molly glanced down at the page, trying but failing to read from where he sat. “Maybe in private some time, then?”

“Ah-maybe,” Caleb told him flatly, with a quick glance at Jester’s back.

“I’ll look forward to it,” Molly smiled anyways, just to see Caleb get flustered.

“Hey...hey guys,” Jester called over her shoulder distracetdly, “I see something up ahead. Looks like a town. Is that the place we’re going?”

“Possibly,” Molly stretched and kneeled up to squint at the distant rooftops. They slowed as they approached town, out of necessity to avoid the many other travelers on the roads. They began to pass caravans and wagons and Caleb tried to glimpse what sort of passengers and cargo they held, but he saw little more than strange faces and piles of crates.

The town seemed to be little more than a stop on the journey for the busy road. A sign near the entrance read ‘welcome travelers’, on which Jester happily painted a symbol of The Traveler and left a little sheet of painted paper.

They parked the wagon in front of the first inn they found, the Crabapple Alehouse, and were quickly able to find rooms for the night and boarding for their horses. They sat down to lunch and a midday drink as Fjord got them on track with their mission from the Gentleman.

“Look, do we have any ideas where to find this Vensun fella?” Fjord asked. “I sort of feel like we’re going in blind here.”

“The Gentleman said that he was pretty well-known,” Jester shrugged. “Why don’t we ask someone?”

“Alrigh’,” he furrowed his brows. “Where d’ya think we should start?”

Jester whipped her head around to search out the bartender. “Hey!” she called, “Mister barkeep! Yeah, hey, I have a question for you,” she told him loudly. “Do you happen to know some guy named um- _Vensun_?”

The barkeep gave her a funny look, but laughed. “Don’t you? Thought everybody knew ‘im.”

Fjord, looking surprised, walked up to the bar so as not to yell across the room. “D’ya happen to know where he usually hangs out?”

“Well,  _ here _ , usually.” The man sighed, “But I haven’t seen him for about two weeks. He disappears for a few days sometimes, but never this long. How do you folks know ‘im?”

“Well, we don’ really know 'im yet,” Fjord answered evasively. “But we’ve heard of ‘is reputation and we were hopin’ to meet ‘im.”

“Reputation?” The bartender cocked his head curiously. “I wasn’t aware that he had much of one. No one’s ever seen the man lift a finger but he always has coin to spend.”

“I’ve not heard of any  _ professional _ reputation,” Fjord amended, “Just that he would be a friendly face when we got to this town. Do y’know where he might’a gone? Where he lives? Any ideas at all?”

“Well, I’m sorry but I have no clue where he went. Wish I did-he’s good for business. He  _ is _ a good bit of business,” the bartender admitted. “He doesn’t have a home, he just stays wherever he ends up. I know he frequents the tavern on the southern end of town as well, and he spends a bit of coin at the Devil’s Nest, a few streets that way,” he jerked a thumb down the road. “And he  _ always _ stops up at the Road. It’s a gambling house up the East road.”

Fjord smiled charmingly, “You, sir, have been one helpful fella. Thank you very much. And, say-could I just trouble you one more time to buy my friends and I another round?”

“Of course,” the man hurried to fill more mugs and tipped his head in thanks at the coin that Fjord laid down.


	13. Chapter 13

They ended up splitting up into teams to find Vesun. Nott, who was busy devouring a pork roast and copious amounts of liquor, volunteered to stay at the tavern in case Vesun came in while the others split into different directions to scope out his usual haunts. By some not-so-subtle manipulation on Jester’s part, she switched with Molly so that she could partner up with Fjord, leaving Molly and Caleb to check out the Devil’s Nest.

“What  _ is _ this place?” Molly frowned at the nondescript building with only a tiny identifying sign in red letters.

“Well, the barkeep said to ask for a woman named Lihanne, so...let's find out. I think I have an idea, though," he sighed.

Molly gestured for Caleb to lead the way and followed him inside.

“Oh, this is  _ exactly _ what it seemed like,” Caleb muttered, as their eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. They were in room filled with lush pillows and low couches, its curtained walls adorned with tapestries and flashy trim.

“Oh,” Molly let out a tiny laugh. “Right. Devil’s Nest. That one went over my head. Not as flashy as most places I've been to."

“Good afternoon,” a low voice greeted, as a snowy white Tiefling stepped out from behind a golden beaded curtain. She had long, flowing white hair, delicate horns and was wrapped in a dress of stunningly contrasting blue. “How may we be of service to you gentlemen today?”

Caleb glanced at Molly for a brief moment, and stood a little straighter, lifting his chin to face the beautiful woman. “Hello,” he smiled warmly. “I would like to request the services of one Lihanne today?”

The woman gave his clothes a quick glance, then Molly’s. “Good choice. She is a beautiful woman,” the Tiefling reached into her pocket for a slip of parchment, which she handed to Caleb. “And do you have a specific request in mind as well?” she asked Molly.

“Oh, I am actually here to-ah...observe, if everyone involved is fine with that.”

“I believe that can be allowed, provided a small extra sum. Sixteen gold total,” she clarified, when Caleb opened his mouth to ask.

“Pay her, please,” Caleb said gently, and Mollymauk raised one eyebrow, but complied.

“This way,” the tiefling led them down a hallway and into a private room that was decorated in the same gaudy taste as the front of the house, then asked for their weapons, which Molly handed over easily.

“Please, make yourselves comfortable. Lihanne will be in shortly.”

Molly plopped down on the end of the bed, stretching back against the mattress as the door shut. “Ooh, this is comfortable,” he wriggled deeper into the down. 

“I don’t really want to think about how many people have been naked on that comforter,” Caleb muttered.

“Eh,” Molly shrugged, “It’s cleaner than half the inns I’ve stayed at.”

Caleb paced, looking about at the room as if he thought it were trapped, pacing nervously.

“I take it you've never been to this sort of establishment before. Will you sit the fuck down?” Molly tilted his head up after a few moments to see what he was doing. “They like to make you wait just a little,” he told him, as Caleb looked over.

“That seems bad for business.”

“No,” Molly’s lip curled into a smirk, “It  _ builds anticipation _ ,” he corrected, and watched Caleb’s step halt and his eyes roam over the bed. “It’s quite brilliant, actually.” Molly stretched his arms above his head and closed his eyes again. He heard Caleb breathe a long sigh, then step over to the bed just as the door opened.

“Good morning,” a sultry-voiced Tiefling stepped inside, closing and locking the door behind her. The woman wore a white and gold dress that left little to the imagination and contrasted quite nicely with her deep red skin tone. “My name is Lihanne,” she introduced.

“Mollymauk,” he sat up, scooting to the edge of the mattress. “And this is Caleb,” he added.

“Well,” she turned her golden eyes upon each of them in turn, ending with Caleb and stepping toward him. “You look like you need to  _ unwind _ ,” she purred.

“Uh-” Caleb took a step back, shaking his head. “I’m sorry-ah…this is an unusual request, I’m sure, but-”

Lihanne took his hand in both of hers as Molly stood up, “Anything you’d like,” she told them.

Molly gave her a stiff smile, “Actually, we aren’t exactly here for your usual services. We want to ask you about one of your regular customers,” he said carefully, watching her for a reaction. “We are looking for Vensun. D’ya know him?”

She let go of Caleb and frowned, “I am not-not supposed to give details about my clients,” she said slowly, backing towards the middle of the room.

“No, I know that...” Molly glanced at Caleb, hesitating.

“Ah-look, we know that he is a customer here, and a regular. We also know that you are his favorite, and we are worried about him. He has not been seen in some time and we would like to find out if he is okay. We intend to help him, I promise. We mean him well.”

Lihanne bit her bottom lip, “I-I don’t know how I would be able to  _ help _ -”

“All we need to know is when the last time you saw him was,” Caleb said quickly. “Do you remember?”

“Uh-yeah,” she nodded once, looking worried. “It was about two weeks ago. Tuesday evening. Is he...is he going to be okay?” she asked.

“We’re going to do our best to find him,” Molly told her. “Do you need to sit down?” he guided her to the edge of the bed and Caleb kneeled down to speak to her face-to-face.

“Lihanne,” he said gently, “How well do you know Vensun? Do you feel like you know him well, or is he...all business?”

Lihanne laughed a little, “I think I know him pretty well,” she said, then seemed to stop. “I-uh-I don’t think I know  _ everything _ about him, but I feel like I know him a bit. His personality, at the very least. I see him three days a week, most weeks. He’s sort of...a favorite of mine. He's very handsome, too.”

“Okay, that’s good,” Molly started, trying to decide what to ask her.

“Um-I…”

“You don’t know what he does for a living, do you?” Caleb asked, but it hardly sounded like a question. He moved to sit on her other side, perching just on the edge of the mattress.

“No,” she shook her head. “I have no idea how he gets his money. But I know that he’s a good person.”

“It’s okay. He isn’t doing anything horrible for his paycheck,” Molly assured her, despite being uncertain what, exactly, he did for the Gentleman. “Do you know-the last time you saw him, did anything seem off?”

“Um...no?” She thought about it for a few long moments, in which Caleb and Molly shared a glance. “You know, he did seem a little less...I don’t know, he wasn’t really stressed out, but...he was tired, and a little bit...tense? I don't know if that’s the right word-” she let out a little sigh of a laugh, “He’s so laid back, I don’t think he  _ knows _ the word tense. But when he came in, he said he was a little achy so I gave him a back rub to help him relax.”

“Okay…” Caleb said slowly. “That might be...hm-”

“Did he...tell you anything about his day?” Molly asked.

Lihanne’s head shot up. “Oh-,” she blinked. “He said that he had gotten a package from a friend in Rexentrumm. Is that...does that mean anything to you?” she asked hopefully.

There was a beat of silence before Molly answered, “Sorry.”

She sagged. “Um...I’m sorry, I don’t know anything else that seems relevant.”

“It’s alright,” Caleb told her. “Do you know, if he had to get away from this town for a bit, where he might have gone?”

Lihanne rubbed her chin. “Um-no...I’m sorry. When I’m not working, sometimes he takes me for walks on the mountain-there’s a trail off the Eastern road, but...I went out there already. A few times, actually," she admitted. "I didn’t see him. Have you tried asking around at the Road or at the taverns in town?”

“Yeah, we’re getting around to all of them,” Molly assured her. 

“Okay…” Caleb looked thoughtful, “We will also check the trails. If you think of anything, we have rooms at the Crabapple Alehouse. Please do not hesitate to tell us something if you feel that it might be useful. We can go check out the mountain now, and we will be sure to let you know if we find anything.”

“Okay. I can do that. Um-” she looked between them uncertainly. “So...you two…I mean, you _ did _ pay for an hour and it’s only been a few minutes...”

“Ah-” Caleb’s face flushed.

“I mean, you’re both quite handsome,” she told them, confidence building in her voice once more. “I  _ really _ wouldn’t mind making your time worth the gold you paid.”

”Thank you for the offer, but...I have to decline for myself,” Molly told her.

She shrugged. “And you?” she turned her golden eyes onto Caleb. “Do Tieflings tickle your fancy?”

“Ah-you know, I don’t mind Tieflings in general, but you're not exactly my type, thank you."

Lihanne glanced at Mollymauk, “Is that so? Well, I-um-sorry, but I need to make it look like I’m doing my job up here. My Madame would  _ kill me _ if she knew I gave you information about a client, so...I sort of can’t go anywhere for a bit. If you can stick around, at the very least? You can just...pretend I’m not here.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Molly chuckled. “But I think we can stick around and make it look good.”

“Ah-yes, that’s fine,” Caleb nodded once.

There was a moment of awkward silence, then Lihanne offered, “Would you like a drink?”

“It’s noon,” Molly laughed. “But sure.”

“Oh, what the hell,” Caleb sighed.


	14. Chapter 14

Caleb and Molly reconvened with the others around dinnertime and shared the information they’d gleaned from the Devil's Nest. The others had little helpful information, so they decided to search the mountain trail in the morning. It was as they were discussing their plans for the next day that Nott’’s voice nearly made Caleb spill his drink. Nott was just across the table from him, but when he looked up, her face was in her cup, pretending to take a drink as she _messaged_ him.

_“Caleb, there’s someone really shady at the bar. Don’t look! I think he’s been giving Mollymauk the evil eye. You can reply to this message!”_

Caleb did not reply, but he continued to listen to the conversation at the table as he finished his ale and stood up to go get another one, glancing over the three men seated at the bar as he waited for his drink.

_“That one! The one in the brown leather,”_ Nott’s voice reached his ears again. _“There’s something odd about him and I don’t like it. You can reply to this message.”_

Caleb thanked the bartender and gave one of the other patrons a friendly nod as he stepped back with his drink sweeping his eyes over the man on the next stool down. There _was_ something off about him. His body was just a little bit too small for his clothes, and around the edges of his form there was a distortion. It looked like the shimmer of radiant heat shining on the horizon in the summertime, twisting the air and the colors there. Caleb chanced a passing glance at his face as well, noting the same effect there, and gave the third man a quick glance as well but found nothing amiss.

“Don’t you think Nott would look good with a piercing, Caleb?” Jester asked him seriously, as he sank back down into his chair. “On her eyebrow, I think.”

“I absolutely think you are right,” Caleb nodded, equally serious as he gave Nott a meaningful look. He broke into a smile then, and placed a hand on Molly’s shoulder as he added, “Perhaps Mollymauk could do it for you, since he has quite a bit of experience with such things?”

“No! Absolutely _not_ ,” Nott squawked. “He’s not going _anywhere_ near me with an earring!”

Caleb grinned and hid his face in his mug as he cast _message_ back to Nott, pointing at her with the hand that he was now hiding in Molly’s hair, pretending to play with it. _“You are right, he is very shady. He is under a glamour spell. Are you sure he is looking sideways at Mollymauk?"_

“What about _you_ Fjord?” Jester turned to her other side instead. “Would you get one?”

“I dunno about that,” he leaned back with a sigh. “Seems a little...fancy fer me, personally. I don’t think it’d match my tunic.”

Nott used the boom of laughter to cover her reply to Caleb, _“I’m certain. You can reply to this message!”_

Caleb carded his fingers through Molly’s hair, untangling them and bracing his hand down the back of his chair instead, ignoring Beau’s questioning glance when she noticed him doing it. He let the others joke and laugh for a bit as he stayed on alert for any trouble from the strange man.

“Who needs another?” Molly asked, standing and taking a quick tally of everyone’s drinks. "Everyone?"

Caleb went to the bar with him, “Hey, why don’t we have this last one and head upstairs, yeah?” he suggested quietly, ducking his head conspiratorially once they’d stepped away from the group. “I could read you a little bit of that book you wanted to hear,” he offered.

Mollymauk raised a brow. “Oh?” he raised an eyebrow. “If I knew all I had to do to turn that ‘maybe’ into this sort of enthusiasm, I would’ve offered you more to drink earlier.”

“Why don’t we have a shot of whiskey and head upstairs?” Caleb raised his chin a little.

“Two whiskeys,” Mollymauk demanded from the bartender. “And a round for the table.”

The tender poured two shots and took the gold piece from the counter with a grateful nod. “I’ll bring more ale,” he promised.

“Cheers,” Molly handed a shot to Caleb and they downed them quickly before Caleb tipped his head toward the staircase and they slipped away, ignoring a squeal from Jester and a loud squawk from Nott. Caleb tugged Molly to the room and through the door, his chest pounding despite knowing that they were not, in fact, going to do anything more than avoid the stranger downstairs.

“I need to tell you something,” Caleb blurted, slamming the door behind Molly and locking it behind them. “Nott sent me a message about one of the men sitting at the bar downstairs. She said that he was looking at you _very_ unkindly and perhaps he knows or _knew_ you, but I ah-”

Molly’s brow furrowed, and as he took a step backwards, Caleb realized just how closely they’d been standing. “You...brought me up here to get me away from...some weird guy?” he asked, confused.

Caleb gestured widely as he explained, “I ah-I went up to get my last drink and took a decent look at him. The middle guy at the bar, he is cloaked in a glamor spell. He is smaller than he looks, darker hair, lighter eyes. Half-elf, I think, though he was disguised as a human. Do you know anyone who fits that description?”

“I-I don’t know,” Molly looked bewildered. “Not that I can think of. Why did you bring me up here, though?”

Caleb blinked. “What?”

Molly repeated, “Why did you bring me upstairs? What use is it to hide me away from this guy? Nott could have messaged me instead, since I’m the one she said the guy seems to have it out for. And why didn’t _you_ let me know once she told you?”

Caleb didn’t have an answer. “I...I did not think of that. I just...I wanted to make sure that you were _safe_ before anything else. This guy...what if he was on bad terms with-with _Lucien_ or _Nonagon_ or whatever...before-I mean-”

“Yeah, he might be someone from _before_ , but,” Molly held Caleb’s gaze steadfastly, “I don’t understand what about any of that made you feel that you had to go to such lengths to get me up here. We could have stayed in the bar and just seen if he did anything. We could have just went up and asked him to tell us who he is and why he hates me and why he's hiding his face. Or, you could have messaged me and asked me to come upstairs."

Caleb swallowed hard. “Honestly,” he said, his voice quiet now, “It was just my first reaction. And perhaps...I was not thinking about it, but perhaps I wanted the excuse to have you up here to myself...”

There was a long moment of silence, in which Caleb seemed to lose his spurt of confidence and looked down at the floor.

“You know...I really wouldn’t mind hearing you read to me,” Molly said slowly. “I’m not much of a reader, myself, but you have a nice voice. And I’m _very_ interested in that book.”

“You-“ Caleb let out a dry huff of a laugh, “You are an awful tease,” he said softly, without malice. “Do you ever stop flirting?”

“No. I don’t, actually,” Molly remarked, and Caleb could hear the grin in his voice.

“I have noticed.” Caleb hesitated, “Nott has noticed as well.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure everyone has noticed after tonight’s show and I don’t frankly give a damn if Nott cares,” Molly chuckled.

“She thinks that you joke around with myself more than the others.”

“Joke?” Molly furrowed his brow.

“The flirting,” Caleb clarified.

“Well, I may be flirting with you more than I do the others, but I do not mean it as a joke.”

“No?" Caleb paused for a beat, "That is good to hear.”

Molly was caught speechless for a moment. “Not with you, at any rate,” he managed. “The others, I joke with. Not you.”

“Mollymauk,” Caleb bubbled up in laughter, startling Molly. “Are you sure you have not been reading smut?”

“Oi, what’s that supposed to mean?” Molly couldn’t help but start to giggle alongside him.

“It means you are being very romantic,” Caleb told him.

“You know, not that it’s a bad thing-not at _all_ -but I have to admit that you surprise me.”

“Ah-how so?”

“I did not expect you to be so... _flirtatious_ ,” Molly grinned. “You’re _very_ charming when you aren’t trying not to be.”

“Well, I read a lot of smut too, so...” Caleb laughed, and his face flushed deeply as Nott’s voice rang through his mind.

_“Is it safe to come upstairs? Is everyone_ decent _? You can reply to this message!”_


	15. Chapter 15

To their surprise, the Mighty Nein was able to find and rescue Vensun fairly easily. It took them only half the day and no one had been seriously hurt in the conflict with the orc who had taken him slave. They returned a grateful Vensun to town, where he rushed off to the Devils Nest. It seemed like everything was going well and they agreed to get back on the road sooner rather than later. With the carts loaded and the sun still high in the sky, they set off back the way they’d come.

Caleb drove the cart, chatting occasionally with Beau and Nott as they lumbered past hills and open fields. Molly was out ahead on a horse with Jester bringing up the rear.

It was late afternoon when they passed beyond the fields to forest, and Caleb was just about to hand the reins over for a break when movement caught his eye up ahead. He called for Molly, but it was too late to stop the dark figure from leaping out of the underbrush and swinging at him. 

“What the  _ fuck _ ?” Beau leaped out first, running to Molly before Caleb had even gotten the horses stopped or processed the arrival of four more attackers. 

“Traveler we’ve got to help Molly!!” He heard Jester pray as she charged forward on horseback, A crossbow bolt fired off from his right, and Caleb leapt off the cart and ran toward the fray, hurtling a firebolt as he went.

“Give it up, Lucien!” one of the men shouted, and Caleb saw Molly panic. “I told you not to fuck with me!” He swung his sword again and Caleb flinched as he saw it make contact with Molly’s shoulder. 

“His name is Mollymauk, not Lucien,” Beau shouted.

“You have the wrong man,” Caleb added warningly, readying a  _ slow _ spell. Even from this distance, he recognized the man from the bar.

“I have exactly the right man,” he spat. “You owe me my  _ life _ back! You owe me my  _ family _ back!” He swung recklessly, carving into Molly’s thigh. Three of the other attackers seemed to be hit by Caleb’s  _ slow _ spell, but the one on Molly was unaffected. He narrowed his eyes, dodged out of the way of Molly’s sword and swung again, managing a deep cut to the abdomen. Molly groaned, clutching the wound and staggering as he tried to stab back, but he growled something in Infernal that made the attackers face go white despite the miss.

“ _ Enough _ of this,” Caleb sent a furious burst of fire at the man, just as he swung the blade back around at Molly’s thigh. Caleb saw the attacker whip his head around, wide-eyed with pain, but his blow still struck true and Molly crumpled to the ground with a weak whimper of pain. 

“Mollymauk!” Caleb finally reached him, skidding to a halt over the Tiefling’s body, his palm extended out with another fireball at the ready. “You,” Caleb snarled, “Have come after the  _ wrong man _ .” 

The fire that exploded from Caleb’s hand left nothing but charred bones and the warped bits of what had been the man’s weapons in a pile on the ground. Caleb sucked in a breath, momentarily shook by the sight of flames, but was pulled from it by the inexplicable sound of Molly’s voice behind him.

“Caleb, watch  _ out _ !”

He turned just in time to dodge a dagger from one of the other attackers and watch the spectral shade of Molly’s form shove a blade into the man’s back, making him crumple to the ground between them. Caleb looked from the lifeless form of Molly on the ground to the shade in front of him, bewildered.

“What-?”

“I could still use a little healing,” the shade hinted, and winked at Caleb as he leapt over to help subdue the rest of their attackers. 

Caleb frantically uncorked a healing potion and dropped to his knees beside Molly’s body, carefully feeding the liquid down his throat and stroking his neck to coax him to swallow. The spectral Molly disappeared with a clang of a sword that dropped as the Molly in Caleb’s hands began to cough.

“You’re a’right?” Molly managed to wheeze.

“ _ Me _ ? I will be  _ fine _ ,” Caleb nearly laughed, leaning forward and stroking Molly’s cheekbone with his thumb. “You are  _ not _ so fine right now. What in the fuck just happened to you?”

“We were...kinda wonderin’ that ourselves,” Fjord’s voice interjected, and Caleb finally looked up to notice that the remaining three attackers were being rounded up by Yasha, and Jester was hurtling toward them. He scuttled back from Molly a little to let her work.

“Here,” Jester slapped a palm on Molly’s chest and healed him with a burst of divine energy. “Do you feel any better?”

“Oh,” Molly groaned, and made to sit up weakly. Caleb helped him up with a gentle push at his back, then gave him a shoulder to rest against. “That’s loads better. Thank you,” he nodded gratefully. “And thank you,” he told Caleb.

“You saved me too,” Caleb told him quietly.

“Yeah, what was with you turning all ghost-like and kicking ass?” Jester’s wise eyes looked impressed.

Molly blinked slowly, “I...I don’t know. I went unconscious and then...I was back up. I had to keep fighting…”

“So...you’re sayin’ this has never happened before?” Fjord asked.

“No-o,” Molly laughed a little. “Not to my knowledge.”

“Do you feel alright now? Do you feel  _ normal _ ?” Caleb asked.

Molly nodded. “Yeah. Peachy. Still a bit sore,” he admitted with a grimace.

“Well,” Caleb shrugged, and moved one hand up to clasp Molly’s shoulder, “Then let us not question why you became a badass avenging spirit.”

“That  _ was  _ pretty badass,” Jester grinned.

Even Fjord rolled his eyes a little, but nodded in agreement. “And you don’t know who these people are?”

“No. They called me Lucien,” Molly said slowly. “I don’t know what I did-what  _ he _ did to them, but it seems to be something from before…”

“This is the guy from the bar last night, right?” Fjord asked of the charred remains behind him.

“Yes, he is the one from last night,” Caleb answered with certainty, “He must have planned the ambush.”

“Alright,” Fjord sighed, “We’ll see what the others have to say.”

“Um-do you need any more healing?” Jester asked uncertainly.

“I’ll be okay. Just give me a minute,” Molly shot her a grateful smile as she followed Fjord back over to the group to interrogate the other attackers.

“Are...are you okay?” Molly asked, after a moment of silence.

Caleb paused. “I will be okay,” he nodded.

Molly hesitated. “It doesn’t have to always be fire, you know.”

“He resisted my  _ slow _ . I do not like to use fire, but he was putting so many holes in you-“ Caleb was talking faster now, his calm waning. “  _ You _ -you were bleeding out. I had to end it quickly and that…” he faltered, his voice falling flat, “Well, it is the way I know best to end things.”

Molly swallowed hard. “Thank you,” he said plainly. “I’m sorry you had to do that.”

“I am not sorry,” Caleb took his hand and squeezed as he stood up, “And thank you for watching my back as well. Stay right here, I need to see these others for myself.” He placed a kiss on Molly’s forehead and gave his hand another squeeze before he let go and turned to join the others, carefully avoiding looking in the direction of the burnt corpse in the field and leaving Molly dumbstruck on the grass.

 

* * *

 

Neither Molly or Caleb slept well for the next few nights. Caleb found that closing his eyes generally meant dreams of fire, and Molly could not shake the churning question of just what sort of person he had been before he’d started his new life. He sighed, glanced over Caleb’s sleeping face, and sat up. Yasha gave him a questioning look from where she sat on watch, but Molly didn’t have any answer. Instead, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and went to sit next to her in silence for a while.

“Are you okay?” Yasha asked finally.

Molly blinked, “I’m fine,” he answered lightly.

Yasha shook her head. “No...I mean with  _ him _ ,” she tilted her head over to where Caleb slept. “Are you two okay?”

“Uh-we’re both fine, I think?”

Yasha frowned, took a long sip of her tea, and said, “You should tell him.”

“Yasha…” Molly took a deep breath. “I-“  _ ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about?’  _ He shook his head. “I can’t,” he told her instead, keeping his voice low. “I’m a bloody coward, alright?” Molly’s voice cracked. 

“He is very interested in you,” Yasha told him instead. “He has made that clear, has he not? So tell him what you want.”

Molly picked at a loose string on his sleeve, biting his bottom lip. “I don’t know...I... _ sort of _ told him.”

“Did you or didn’t you?” Yasha asked skeptically.

“I-I’m not sure... _ fuck _ ,” he rubbed his palms over his eyes. “I tried to tell him that it’s not a joke...when I flirt with  _ him _ , it’s not just some stupid bit of fun...but I’m worried that he thinks it’s all just me being...a little too  _ me _ , you know? And-“ Molly’s breath hitched, his voice going hoarse. “And I don’t what in the fuck I’m even  _ doing _ . I’ve had a fair few partners in the last couple of years. I even dated that girl-you remember the elf, right? From back in the circus? But...it wasn’t like  _ this _ .”

Yasha hummed thoughtfully, looking out over the dark field that lay on the other side of the hut’s wall. “You are different around him,” she decided.

Molly laughed a little, but it came out as a sob. “Am I?” He asked raggedly.

Yasha turned her head back to look him straight in the eye. “It’s funny,” she blinked, “That  _ you _ are the shy one and  _ he  _ is rather bold about his interest.”

“Isn’t it?” Molly wiped tears from the corners of his eyes. “I can’t even explain it…I just…I freeze. I want to...I want to be _ more _ , but I don’t want to lose him. Even if all we ever are is friends, I’d rather settle for that than fuck it up completely.”

Yasha sighed contemplatively, “I’m pretty sure you want the same thing at this point. I mean, I don’t really know anything  _ about... _ all of  _ that _ -“ she waved her hands vaguely, “-dating and stuff, but...he cares for you. And you care for him. I think maybe you’re both making things more complicated than they need to be.”

Molly swallowed hard, taking in a shaky breath. “Maybe we are,” he sighed.

Yasha clapped him awkwardly on the back and stood up, eyes roaming the horizon. “You should try to sleep,” she told him quietly.

“I’ll try,” Molly conceded. “Thanks.”

She just gave him a short nod and began to pace the perimeter of their protective dome, leaving him with his thoughts.


	16. Chapter 16

“Mollymauk,” Caleb asked hesitantly, as the group stopped to camp a couple of days from Zadash. “Would you like to walk with me?” Caleb managed to get the words out quiet and clear, all too aware that the rest of the group had heard him and were waiting, silent, for Molly’s answer.

Molly, however, plastered on an easy smile. “Of course.” Yasha gave him a pointed look and Molly’s breath faltered for a moment.

Caleb tipped his head in the direction of a nearby stream and tried to avoid the curious looks from the others, especially Nott’s calculating gaze.

“Let’s go someplace quieter, no?”

“Sure,” Molly’s breezy smile was still up, but Caleb could see the tension in his face. The whole probably probably could. Molly turned toward the treeline wordlessly and led Caleb into the thickets. They walked for a few minutes, coming to the river and traveling a bit further down the bank in silence. Finally, Caleb took a deep breath and placed a hand on Molly’s shoulder, stopping them where they were. 

“Sit down?” Caleb asked.

Molly sat next to him on the rocky bank, visibly nervous now. “Caleb?” He asked uncertainly.

“I wanted to talk to you,” Caleb blurted.

“Okay,” Molly’s hand was shaking between them.

Caleb looked away from Molly’s face to stare straight ahead at the river, finding it easier to speak to it than directly to Molly. “I am sorry to make you come out here like this, but I feel that we need to speak outside of the ears of our friends...I was going to wait until we got back to Zadasha, but I think we both need to get this out.” He paused, but Molly had no response to give. “I-“ Caleb started but broke off, floundering for words at last.

Molly swallowed hard beside him, and Caleb sighed in frustration. “It’s okay,” Molly offered, still sounding very much uncertain. 

Caleb reached out suddenly and took Molly’s hand between them, squeezing. “Mollymauk, is this okay?” Caleb asked, his voice almost a whisper.

“Yes,” Molly answered without hesitation.

Caleb nodded and squeezed again. “We are-ah...we are very close, no?”

Molly froze. “Uh-yes, I would say we are,” he murmured.

Caleb nodded again. “Right. Closer, perhaps than our other friends?”

“I...think so, yes.”

Caleb sighed. “I am obviously closer to Nott than anyone else, but you-I…”

Molly smoothed his thumb over the back of Caleb’s hand. “I think...what we have is a bit  _ different  _ than what we have with the others?” Molly said quietly, hopefully.

“Yes,” Caleb turned his head to face Molly for the first time since the conversation had started. “I- _ exactly _ . I just...I want to be on the same page, as it were,” he said gently. “The others have noticed that we are...more friendly, I think, and before they start asking questions and making comments, I want to make sure that we understand each other. I...I think that I have made it clear that I want  _ more _ …”

“What, exactly, do you want more of?” Molly finally looked up to meet his eyes.

Caleb flushed. “I want...I want to do this,” he squeezed their hands together. “And I want to sleep next to you and I want to wash your hair for you. And-“ he paused, swallowing nervously as he brought one hand up to caress Molly’s cheekbone. “I do not think that I deserve it, but I want to be yours and I want you to be mine.”

Molly took a long moment to form a response. Finally, he managed to nod. “I...I want all of that,” came tumbling out. “And...I want you to know that you  _ do _ deserve it. All of it. I want to try and to be... _ more _ , and um-I do not have any experience with dating.  _ Flirting _ I know.  _ Sex _ I know, but...I want you to be more than that and I don’t exactly know how to do that, but I want to try. And I don’t want to hide from the others.”

“No,” Caleb agreed. “I do not know what I’m doing either, obviously. That is why...I wanted to be sure…” Caleb squeezed his hand harder, but in place of words, he only managed to place a chaste kiss on Molly’s lips.

He began to pull back, but Molly gently guided their foreheads to rest against each other, noses bumping as Molly grinned. “No more of this...dancing around each other, okay? I want you, you want me. And…” Molly bit his bottom lip, “I’ve been trying very hard to keep my hands off of you. I know that you are less comfortable with affection than myself, even if you have been much more forward lately...”

“I don’t want you to hold back, Mollymauk. I know that you are very...bold. As long as you do not do anything too... _ inappropriate _ in front of the others, I think I will be okay with that.”

“And if I want to do inappropriate things in private?” Mollymauk’s voice dropped an octave.

Caleb flushed, laughing a little. “We will, perhaps, have to explore that question in private, no? What a shame we are still two days from Zadash.”

Molly flashed a sharp tooth as he grinned, stealing another peck on the lips, purposefully chaste, before he finally pulled away. “I look forward to it,” he winked.

Caleb bit his bottom lip and let out a long sigh of frustration and relief. “We should probably go help them make camp,” Caleb said reluctantly, but they began to meander their way back through the woods, toward the smell of meat cooking over the fire and the sound of their friends bickering and laughing.

Nott caught sight of them first, emerging from the trees one after the other. She narrowed her eyes at Molly, but said nothing.

“Something smells great,” Molly grinned. “Is that rabbit?”

“I’ll start casting the shelter,” Caleb said quietly, and gave Molly’s elbow a squeeze as he passed by to sit at the far corner of the clearing.

Unsurprisingly, Fjord was the first to say something to them. When the food was ready and the shelter cast, Molly sat on the ground between Caleb’s legs to eat and leaned back against him. Caleb smiled down at him and ran a hand through Molly’s hair.

“Uh-“ Fjord coughed awkwardly. “Not to be rude, but I’ve noticed you two are a little  _ closer _ lately, and you don’t seem to be tryin’ to hide it. Are you two-uh...a  _ thing _ now or somethin’?”

“Is that going to be a problem?” Caleb challenged lightly, taking hold of both Molly’s shoulders protectively.

Fjord raised one eyebrow. “I hope it won’t be,” he said slowly. “I think we've got a good team here. We done some good together and I just want to make sure we can continue to work together. Business as usual.”

“That will not change,” Caleb promised.

“Then I don’t think we have any problems,” Fjord nodded.

“I  _ knew  _ it!” Nott blurted out, letting out an undignified squawk. “I  _ knew _ you were flirting back!”

“Yes,” Caleb smiled bemusedly at Nott. “I lied. I flirted back,” his face flushed with held-back laughter. “So...this rabbit is  _ great _ , Yasha. Thank you,” he tried to change the subject all-too-obviously and the group chuckled, but let the subject go.

At some point during the evening Jester mentioned that she had know about their secret affair all along, and neither Caleb or Molly had the heart to correct her.

 

* * *

 

By the time they reached Zadash, Caleb was nearly giddy with anticipation. He had planned their day meticulously, estimating their arrival time in the early evening and mentally mapping out an itinerary that started at the inn, where Caleb would get an extra room and ask for it to be away from the other two, then to the bathhouse before it closed for the night, where he would treat them to a private bath before dinner. Caleb wanted to go somewhere on their own, to a tavern other than the one they were staying in, and then they could make their way back and sneak upstairs while their friends were either already asleep from the exhaustion of travel, or too drunk to notice them pass by. It was a good plan, Caleb thought. It was a  _ great  _ plan, and he resolved to push aside his nerves and enjoy the night.

He did not anticipate the wagon hitting a rut in the road and breaking down outside of Zadash. He especially had not considered that a  _ mending _ spell might not be enough to fix it or that they would toil at the repair fruitlessly for nearly two hours before a kind passerby stopped with the appropriate tools and skill to help them. As the Mighty Nein thanked the man and shoved a gold into his hands, Caleb recalculated his plans.

He could see Zadash now, just a pinprick of light upon the darkening skyline. They would not reach it until late in the evening now, which meant that the bathhouse would be closed. He struck that part of the plan off his list but decided that he would instead ask the bartender to simply get fresh water for bathing. It would not be nearly so relaxing, but it would suffice to at least wash away the muck of their journey. The plan was  _ not  _ ruined.

When they finally entered the gates, however, they found the Nein found that the streets were still loud and busy, much more lively than they’d ever seen on a normal night. Caleb leaned over the edge of the cart to ask one of the guards what was going on. 

“There’s a trade caravan in town. A  _ big  _ one. ‘S only here for a couple o’ days-all sorts of things. Food, music,  magic stuff, you can buy clothes and whatnot. They only come through once a year or so. It’s kind of a big thing.”

“Right,” Caleb thanked the guard as they pulled away from him, heading towards the Leaky Tap Tavern. 

“Oh,  _ gods _ ,” Molly sighed. “Look at this place.”

Caleb looked up at the tavern, in front of which several wagons were lined up.

“Why don’t I go see if they’ve got any rooms,” Fjord suggested. “You find a place to keep the cart and horses.”

“I’ll come with you,” Jested offered, and they hopped out to go speak with the barkeep.

Caleb was running through the nights plans in his mind. There was little chance they’d get their own room now, and by the look of things the barkeep would be much too busy to fetch them fresh bathing water anyways. It seemed like the only part of his plan that might not fall apart was dinner.

“Did you just  _ growl _ at me?” Molly raised an eyebrow at Caleb as he maneuvered the horses around the corner and towards the stable. 

“No,” Caleb said quickly, flushing. 

“Well, that’s a shame. It was kind of sexy,” he muttered quietly, so the others couldn’t hear him. 

“I-“ Caleb let out a frustrated sigh, “I wanted to spend some time with you tonight,” he admitted, just as quietly. “Just us.”

“Oh?”

Caleb glanced back at Beau, on one horse with Nott, and Yasha on the other. None of them seemed to be paying attention. “I had wanted to get us a room for the night, and go have a nice, relaxing bath, then take you shopping and have dinner. Obviously none of that seems like it will be happening now.”

“A-and after dinner?” Molly was blushing a little, and that fact made Caleb sit up a little straighter.

“After dinner,” Caleb repeated slowly, deliberately lowering his voice further and leaning in close to Molly’s ear, “I wanted to take you to upstairs to a  _ private _ room and have a nice,  _ relaxing _ evening with you, Mollymauk.”

“ _ Oh _ …” Molly shot him a smug smile, “ _ Did _ you? I must admit that it’s a nice thought-a  _ very _ nice thought. I’d be happy to take you up on that offer. And if the plan doesn't go off  _exactly_  as you said, well that's alright with me."

"We will wait," Caleb told him firmly, "We will have dinner and then we will sleep, and in the morning, perhaps we can go shopping and  _if_ an appropriate opportunity for comfort and privacy presents itself, I will be more than happy to show you my originals plans for  _after dinner_."

"Oh," Molly breathed, clearly frustrated but also momentarily stunned by Caleb's brazenness. "That sounds...yes..." he licked his lips. "I'll look forward to it," he manged finally, but it was not quite the smooth quip he had been going for. "But for now, I'm perfectly content with dinner and shopping. And perhaps holding your hand, if you're alright with that."

Caleb smiled a little, and squeezed his hand, but cleared his throat as a stable hand approached them, cutting their conversation short. Molly eased away from Caleb as they got the cart parked and paid a man to board the horses. Beau, Nott and Yasha were still unstrapping packs from their mounts as Fjord came around the corner. 

“Well,” he announced with a sigh, “We have a place to sleep tonight,” he started. 

“But-?” Caleb asked.

“They’ve only got one room. We’ll all have to share,” he shrugged apologetically. “I’d say try the other places in town but apparently this is one o’ the least sought-after establishments and from what the other patrons said, there ain’t a whole lotta rooms left in this city right now.”

“We can handle the floor for a night,” Beau shrugged. “Beats the ground.”

Caleb gave Molly a pointed look, to which Molly shrugged dejectedly.

“It certainly is better than the wagon,” Molly sighed.


End file.
